Just One Lullaby
by YBNorml
Summary: Johnny/Edgar, Johnny lets Edgar live, and Edgar finds less and less reasons for him to keep staying at Johnny's but he does anyways. Unfortunately for Squee, after his parents' untimely death, it's the two hapless insane neighbors who take him in.
1. Chapter 1

The first thing he realized when he came to was that he wasn't dead. Well, he didn't think he was dead. After all, he was in the same room as before he passed out. Damnit. His glasses had fallen off. Probably because his chin had fallen against his chest in a show of pure exhaustion. That blurry shape on the floor beneath his feet was probably them. He shivered. It sure was cold here. Wherever he was. Edgar Vargas thought back to what had transpired before he succumbed to the intricate seduction of all consuming fatigue, but truth be told he didn't remember much of it. Something akin to a philosophical debate with a mad man, but he couldn't be sure. Of course, it was meant to result in his imminent death. But clearly that had not occurred for he did feel very much alive. His torso ached abominably and he appeared to still be well off the ground.

He also _really_ had to pee. How long had it been? Part of the pain in his abdomen was his stomach gnawing on itself, grumbling an incessant demand for food. He hoped the mad man would come back and let him down, because he did need to use the toilet. He also thought about maybe going to the grocery market and getting something to fill the barren cabinets in his apartment's kitchen. Well, perhaps it wasn't necessarily a kitchen as a bunch of drawers, a tiny portable fridge and a camping set Bunsen burner. He was big on using paper bowls over his Bunsen burner to heat up his ramen packets. Nothing caught fire, quite an interesting explanation for it. But he had more demanding thoughts on his mind than Bunsen burners and ramen. Well, maybe the ramen was a demanding thought. The sound of his stomach growling was drowned out by the door to the room slamming open. Loud footsteps, and then suddenly there were nimble fingers pulling the belts undone from around his stomach. Quickly the handcuffs were also removed and he fell to the floor…onto his glasses. He heard them snap. He sighed. The fall had hurt a good deal worse than being up there. But he also now had the problem of not being able to see.

"There, you 'can go now'." A familiar voice sneered.

Edgar paused. He did want to go, but he wasn't sure it would a successful mission since he couldn't see and he'd just broken his glasses.

"What? Don't want to leave now? You seemed so intent on it before you took a nap."

"I do want to leave, I just broke my glasses."

There was no response from the voice, so Edgar supplied, "I can't see without them."

"Oh, how unfortunate for you." The voice paused, "So, you cannot leave unless you have glasses?"

"Well, not necessarily."

"So leave then."

Edgar sighed. He picked up the broken glasses and rose shakily to his feet. Then he stumbled blearily towards what he thought was the door. He was wrong. It was a wall. He grunted and began feeling along the wall as he shuffled very slowly. There was an impatient noise behind him so he assumed the mad man was becoming exasperated with him. Not very far away from him were footsteps and the sound of a door closing. Well at least now he knew roughly where the exit was. He started shuffling in that direction. Edgar managed to make it out of the room and up a seemingly endless number of stairs. It was frustrating mostly due to the fact that occasionally he would reach a platform and think he'd reached the top. Then he'd go forward expecting to run into a door. Instead his feet would catch on the foot of even more stairs. After quite a while he found a door instead of stairs. He opened it and entered another room.

The details were nonexistent to him. Everything was a fuzzy blob. Edgar avoided the larger blobs. He held his hands out in front of him. But this didn't do him much good when he bumped into a blob he hadn't noticed before and fell over. His already sore stomach crashed into the arm of a chair. Groaning, Edgar steadied himself and collapsed into it. Not the most comfortable chair in the world, but it was much better than blindly walking up countless flights of stairs.

"You're in my seat." The mad man observed.

Edgar jumped, startled. The mad man settled down on the blob on the floor in front of Edgar. It was probably a coffee table. Suddenly there was a pair of glasses on his face. But they only slightly dulled the pain.

"Can you see now?" He asked.

"No, where'd you get these?"

"I stole them from an eye doctor."

"Ah."

For a while they tried several different glasses. The mad man would ask him if he could see or not, and Edgar would reply with a no. Eventually they found the right pair. Suddenly everything swam into focus. He could see the man in front of him, and at that moment everything came back to him. Nny, that was his name. He was sitting on a wooden crate with glasses scattered all around him and a large bag in his lap. Apparently he'd grabbed every pair in the store. For a moment Nny took the ones off Edgar's face. There was pause.

"You're blind." Nny announced.

"Thank you." Edgar replied.

The glasses were put back on his face. Nny stood up and tossed the bag into a corner. He then disappeared through the door Edgar presumed led down to the bottomless basement. After a few minutes Edgar was at a loss. Nny had gone out of his way to steal all the glasses from the eye doctor's so that Edgar could see. This was after he'd quite generously _not_ killed him. So, it should be obvious that Edgar should now leave. However, Edgar couldn't decide whether he still wanted to leave or not.

He chose to ponder this decision while he searched for a toilet. Edgar found one and it seemed relatively sanitary. He pointedly avoided looking at the tub filled with bloody appendages. After that he twisted the taps of the sink and ran some surprisingly clean water over his hands. He shook them vigorously and dried them as best he could with his shirt. So then…why was this so hard to figure out? He could go home to his serial killer free apartment and eat ramen. Or, he could stay here with a crazy person who almost killed him. Almost. He still might. Gee, what a hard choice to make. Edgar was rattled with indecision and frustration. Besides, what would happen if he told Nny that he didn't want to leave? What would he do then? Edgar still had his job to go to. What time was it? He groaned.

Edgar reentered what he guessed was the living room and glanced around for a clock. Finding none, he glanced at his wrist by force of habit. His watch remained there and it told him that it was nearing two in the afternoon, on a Thursday. He was supposed to have been at work at nine this morning. He could always call in sick a little late. If he got a hold of Becky, the slutty office intern, she wouldn't care enough about him calling in late to tell anyone about it. That was a good plan. He strode across the room quickly and stood in front of the door. This was the last door, it lead outside, he was sure of it. If he went through it he was free. He could go back to his normal life. Right? Why was it so hard to open this door? He threw a cautious look over his shoulder and found Nny standing in the hall, about to enter the bathroom. In one hand he had a bucket full of more bloody limbs. In the other were a just as bloody saw, and a wash cloth. Nny gazed at him in confusion, before snickering in amusement. He then left Edgar alone again, having gone into the bathroom and shut the door. Edgar realized at that moment he was really pushing it. Nny probably wanted him to have been gone an hour ago. Why was he still there anyways?

He padded over to the bathroom and lifted a hand to knock. But before he could a foot slipped through the crack in the door and pushed it open. Nny was sitting on the counter, one foot in the sink and the other dangling over the side. He was scrubbing the blood off his saw with the washcloth he'd brought with him. He didn't spare a glance for Edgar who was merely standing there. The air between them was quite complacent. The tension that Edgar imagined would be there wasn't. He leant against the door jam and Nny finally looked up at him.

"You're still here."

"Yes."

"Do you want me to kill you?" Edgar was surprised with himself when the question didn't really bother him. The tone with which it was uttered held no real frustration, only genuine curiosity.

"Not really."

Nny scowled, though Edgar figured it wasn't aimed at him but more at a stain on the saw that wasn't coming off. He scrubbed more furiously and ended up giving it up as a lost cause. He dropped the saw onto the dirty floor and hopped off the counter. Blithely, as though he had important things he needed to be doing, Nny weaved by him. Edgar turned with the movement and watched Nny head for the stairs again. Instead of passing through the doorway and down into the basement he paused. Turning around he opened his mouth and then closed it. At long last he said, 'Don't sit in my chair'. After that he disappeared. Edgar nodded though the person it was aimed at was already out of sight. Now what to do?

Sponges…sponges…aisle 15. Edgar swerved onto aisle 15. He grabbed a few packs of sponges and tossed them into the cart. Edgar found that his thoughts were rather incoherent, since his waking up in the basement room where he'd _almost_ been killed. First he had wanted glasses, so that he could leave. He'd escaped the basement, been given glasses and he didn't leave. He didn't leave then because he needed to use the bathroom. After that he didn't really have a reason for not leaving, but he'd stumbled upon Nny scrubbing away at his saw. But the stains wouldn't come out, not with a washcloth. So now he was at the grocery market getting sponges, and brasso. The latter because it worked on stainless steel, and sink faucets; maybe it worked on saws? He'd find out when he went back to Nny's house. The fact of the matter was he was out. He was a good several miles away in fact. He could just keep walking and get to his apartment and go back to normal. But the stain was starting to bug him. That and he was also feeling strongly compelled to clean Nny's bathroom. Gloves…gloves…jumbo pack. Into the cart. He also grabbed a bottle of tilex. And a mop. He could get cleaning supplies from his apartment. Hmm, he probably needed a broom.

Edgar stood in the checkout line waiting behind a morbidly obese couple that was rather loud and obnoxious. _Nny might kill them._ He thought absently. _Hmm, the sponges were on sale._ By the time they were done arguing and had purchased their things, Edgar noted that the chipper blonde cashier was rather fatigued. She smiled brightly at him nonetheless and Edgar returned the gesture in his automatically polite manner. She looked through him in that way that most people did. It was amazing how his amiable demeanor could make him so invisible. The one time in his life where he'd raised his voice at someone they'd glanced over at him as if he were something shiny they were momentarily distracted by. Then, then they'd turned to something else rather quickly. Was his voice just instantaneously muted by other people's ears when he spoke? Maybe he wasn't actually speaking and it was an illusion constructed by his brain to keep his entire psyche from collapsing? Who knew?

By the time that Edgar had returned to Nny's house it was getting darker out, though the sun had yet to set. He didn't knock on the door, merely walking in as if he lived there. Setting down all of his cleaning supplies outside the bathroom on the floor Edgar began rummaging around for his gloves. The first task he was going to tackle was removing all the limbs from the bathtub and burying them in the front yard. He thought he saw a sign out front that said something akin to "Stay off the loose soil, it's impolite to walk on the dead." All he really needed was a shovel. But as he was thinking on whether or not it would be worth it to go find Johnny and ask where the shovel was, he was becoming more and more disgusted by the limbs in the tub. It finally came to the point where he couldn't look at them. So maybe the incoherency was wearing off.

He'd just spent nearly $50 on cleaning supplies so that he could clean the bathroom of the crazy man who'd _almost_ killed him. In fact, Edgar couldn't even remember why Nny hadn't killed him. His memory went a little fuzzy after Nny had raised the gun. He probably had passed out from the panic of having a gun pointed at his head. But it seemed like something else had happened, something that had somehow distracted Nny. He'd left, and then after that decided that he should just let Edgar go. After all, Edgar was Nny's bestest friend ever. Edgar closed the door to the bathroom and leant against it, sliding down to sit on the floor. What was it he'd told Nny? He wasn't afraid of death? _"Fuck fear!"_ What a confident statement. It must have been the adrenaline. Because now, now he felt very, very afraid. He'd passed countless torture machines down in the basement, well; they'd appeared to him blobs then. So he couldn't _really_ be sure they were torture machines, but it was an educated guess that could probably be trusted.

"Where did the bags come from?"

Edgar glanced up at Nny briefly before turning to gaze back at the floor. Nny had another bucket of limbs, and the stench of blood, old and new, was making him nauseous. Why hadn't he noticed the smell before? It seemed to be consuming him now. It was making his eyes water and his nostrils burn. When he opened his mouth to speak he swore he could taste it on the air.

"The grocery market."

Nny set down his bucket and his saw and knelt down beside Edgar. He perused through the bags offhandedly grabbing one of the sponge packs. For a few minutes he inspected the brasso. Edgar found himself explaining that he'd gone to the market to get things with which to clean the bathroom. He'd bought the sponges and the brasso so that Nny could get the stains off of his saw.

"Yes, well," Nny was staring at him, "That was quite kind of you. I don't really understand why you're still here, but if you want to clean my bathroom I won't stop you."

"You're welcome."

"My only request," Nny continued, as if Edgar hadn't spoken, "Is that you leave the filthy appendages in the bathtub. That is where I like to put them."

"Alright."

"Unless," Again, it was almost like Edgar wasn't there, "you clean out all the parts. I bury them in the front yard when I've accumulated enough. I think my dirt is quite fertile by now. I wonder if flowers would grow well there."

Edgar didn't try to speak this time; it wasn't as if Nny would hear him. He looked up at the serial killer next to him. Johnny looked as if he really was mulling over the possibility of planting flowers in his yard. In fact, for the next several minutes Johnny was consulting him on whether or not he should start growing a garden to cover up the ugly dirt. Edgar nodded and 'hmm'd in the right places while silently praying that Nny didn't decide to kill him. But as the minutes ticked away he started to realize that at this particular moment in time, Johnny didn't feel compelled to do him harm. But there was still a nagging question on his mind.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

"Are you still stuck on that? Really?"

Edgar stared at Nny, whom was currently wearing an exasperated expression, "Well, it is kind of an important issue for someone."

"Not being killed? It really bothers you so much?"

"Well, it's not the 'not being killed', it's more the why. You seemed so set on it."

"Oh, I was distracted by little squee's father. It seems he found the tunnel from his bathroom to one of the basement levels of my house."

"Squee?" Edgar asked, just to make sure he heard right.

"My neighbor." Nny explained, then adding, "He has terrible parents."

Edgar shook his head. He really should go home. Johnny was terribly deranged. He decided not to kill him solely on the fact that he got distracted. How lovely. But, Edgar was starting to discover with a strange sense of apathy growing in his stomach, that he didn't really want to go home. He had no will to leave. He'd probably still have his job, if he felt like going. No one would notice him being gone. No family or friends to check in on his absence from his regular life. He could stay here and clean Nny's bathroom, pass out in the living room and no one would really notice.

A hand waved in front of his face. Edgar turned to face Johnny who was standing up. "I'm going to use these sponges you got for me to try and get the stains off my saw. If you want to clean you'll have to do so around me."

With that, Nny disappeared into the bathroom and left Edgar in the hallway. After a few minutes there was an excited exclamation behind him:

"It works!"

Maybe he would stay. Possible death seemed much better than being ignored. For the moment that was his decision. He'd probably change his mind in a few hours. But a few hours later, when the bathroom was clean, he was hungry, and Johnny was hungry. So they went to the gas mart. He still didn't want to leave.

**TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

He'd been there for three days so far. He _still_ hadn't gone home. Edgar was starting to wonder if he'd ever go home. Was it even home anymore? Nny had finally gotten over the fact that Edgar had yet to leave his house. They functioned in relative compatibility. Edgar suspected this was most likely due to the fact that if Nny became frustrated with him, he could always drag him into the basements and kill him. It was this fact that kept Edgar ever so subdued and polite of Johnny's house rules. Rule #1: Don't sit in my chair. Rule #2: If you empty the tub of limbs, you bury them. Rule #3: Don't sleep in my bed. The third rule was quite interesting, mostly because Edgar hadn't found the bed until the second night. When he had, Nny had been somewhere in the basement and he knew by now that the man was a chronic insomniac. So what could the harm be? Edgar had settled down on the surprisingly comfortable furniture, pulled the blankets over himself and fallen asleep. Without any kind of warning a few hours later he was roughly awakened by Johnny's foot in his back sending him flying off the bed. "Question sleep!" He had cackled before disappearing again. Edgar had yelled something back at him, probably a myriad of obscenities. Over the next hour he had emptied the tub, buried the limbs, and scrubbed out the tub before finally falling asleep in it.

The fourth day was the day that Edgar discovered the kitchen actually contained edible food. It was quite surprising because for the past few days Johnny had simply taken him out to eat when they both happened to be hungry at the same time. Then, usually, out to eat meant either the gas mart or the taco place. Neither was very good for one's stomach, or at least, not Edgar's. There was a line of cupboards stretching across the wall right up against the ceiling, and then another set embedded under the counters. The fridge was dingy and rather unremarkable, and the stove made Edgar inch towards his cleaning supplies. Naturally before his inspection was complete he was cleaning. He wasn't sure where this urge had come from, the need to clean. He guessed it was being in Nny's house. Granted, Edgar's house wasn't necessarily immaculate, but it wasn't infested with bugs, covered in bloody body parts or encrusted with grime either. The floor's level of filthiness was more helpful than bothersome when he was scrubbing away at it. The dirt was caked up so much in places that with very little prodding whole sections of it would come up. He was currently putting those sections into one of the buckets he'd found lying around the house.

Edgar hummed to himself, inwardly congratulating himself as he pried the last of the scum slabs off. Now he could get out the mop and get at the next layer. Then, because he couldn't stand it he went back to the cracks in the tile with iron wool to get the last of the crust off. When he was finished he was truly amazed. The tile put down in the kitchen was really nice, it wasn't even linoleum. It'd just been covered up for who knows how long. Encouraged by his results with the tile, Edgar moved onto the counters. He was thus rewarded with bronze washed concrete slabs. The fridge remained unimpressive, but at least by the time he was done with it, it didn't smell nearly as bad. The stove and oven was, by far, the worst part of the kitchen. He opened the door to the oven and reeled back when a colony of ants poured out. Barely managing to save his cleaning chemicals and broom and mop he fled from the kitchen. He then spent the next hour or so in town getting spray and ant traps to kill the bugs with. He also used the time to calm himself down. He _hated_ bugs. You could say he had a sort of phobia…pertaining to bugs. That would also be a broad generalization but…ah well. Edgar noticed something, on his way home from the home improvement store. People seemed to be actually looking at him, instead of through him. It was a frustrating realization and Edgar immediately wondered why it bothered him. Didn't he want to stop being invisible? He wanted people to see him. That's why he stayed with Johnny. He stopped for a moment at that thought before he realized that he was blocking the sidewalk. He shuffled to the side and collected himself. Okay, it was okay. He had a reason now. Whereas he didn't have a reason before to stay, now he had a reason. He had one. But still, unused to such inspection, Edgar walked back to Johnny's house with a bit of a hunch to his shoulders. It felt very odd, to even be glanced at, to be seen.


	3. Chapter 3

Edgar killed those fucking ants. Every last one of them. Then he cleaned the kitchen again. Just to be sure. Now that he was done he really wanted Johnny to see his newly cleaned, ant-less kitchen. Somehow, by coincidence, Johnny usually magically appeared whenever Edgar had finished cleaning, and would see the work he'd done. But Nny was still nowhere on the main floor, so that meant he was probably still somewhere in the basement. Edgar _really_ wanted him to see the kitchen. It had taken far more work than the bathroom. But at the same time, Edgar wasn't quite sure it was worth the risk of venturing into the abyss. Hmm. He weighed his options. He could stay up there and find something else to clean, _or_ he could find Nny. Cleaning some more would be another toll on his now exhausted body and he wasn't ready to make another strike against the unholy filth of the house. But going to find Nny might end in various forms of torture which Edgar could only try and imagine (and he didn't want to). Then again, the latter was quite nearly always a risk, just from living with Johnny. So it wouldn't be anything new. He shrugged and shuffled through the house and down the stairs into the basement.

The screaming increased in quantity and volume the farther down he went. He was used to it by now but it didn't make it exactly pleasant. Calling out Nny's name to try and find out where he was wouldn't do any good; the other voices would drown out his. So, he figured a trial and error method would work. As he went down he opened doors and looked inside. Usually a person would be attached to some sort of device, or to the wall. Most of them were unconscious but it was the awake ones that really got to him. They were so distracting. He would poke his head in to see if Johnny was there and suddenly someone would shout at him, 'Oh god, finally! Help me, please I've been in here forever and he won't let me goooo!' Then Edgar would quickly yank his head out of the room and shut the door. Furious cries would curse him from behind the door and he would move on. He would also pause for a minute or two wondering if he was a terrible person for leaving those victims in their various rooms and not helping them. It really was a kind of horrible thing to do to someone. See them bound and in obvious distress and then walk away despite being able to do something about it. But he really wanted someone to appreciate his hard work on the kitchen. These captives would be too focused on escaping to even notice. So what would be the point in freeing them? He really was an awful human being.

_Finally_, he thought as he opened yet another door to reveal Nny pulling someone's teeth out with pliers. Edgar winced at the horrible shriek of pain from the woman who was the current victim of Nny's sadistic urges. He cleared his throat politely causing Nny to turn around, pliers still in hand. He cocked his head to the side and stared at him with an expression Edgar couldn't identify.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I cleaned the kitchen." Edgar's voice came out a bit distracted as he was trying to tune out the woman's agonized gurgling.

Johnny held up a hand gesturing for him to shut up. He then took his pliers and beat the woman over the head with them until she went limp, unconscious. "What was that you were saying? I couldn't hear you over her screaming."

"I cleaned the kitchen."

"Really?" Johnny squinted at him, "How did you manage that?"

Edgar felt a pop of triumph rattle within his chest at Nny's astonishment. "I just used the things I bought at the market the other day."

"Yes, I'm sure you did." Nny paused, "But I've spent _years_ messing up that kitchen."

"I noticed…there were…ants," At that he shuddered, "in the oven, but I'm pretty sure I got them all."

"I see." Another pause. "I'm guessing you would like me to come take a look at it to satisfy your seemingly endless need for attention and praise?"

Edgar froze, but Johnny passed right by him and out of the room. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he sprinted pell-mell up the stairs. He shook his head, suddenly feeling embarrassed and quite cold. Edgar hurried up the stairs to catch up with Nny, but found that his legs would only move so fast. They seemed to be made of lead now. His words had caught him off guard. He wasn't sure they were hurtful so much as…unexpected? Edgar was sure that he hadn't meant it in an unkind way; by the way he said it. It was like he was merely thinking aloud, recanting his observations. But at the same time, Edgar wasn't entirely sure anymore, the farther up the stairs he got. Once he had reached the main floor, Edgar could hear Johnny moving around the kitchen.

He walked into the newly cleaned room with Johnny who was staring around in wonder. He turned his eyes onto Edgar and put a patronizing smile onto his face. Johnny approached him in a way that filled him with dread. He realized it was completely unnecessary when all Nny did was pat him on the head and coo things at him like 'Good cleaning woman'. He then disappeared again. Disheartened and mortified he sat down on the floor, staring at the tile. He had gone down there perhaps a little too eager for some acknowledgement. Excited at the thought of any compliments or appreciation that Nny might bestow upon him. How pathetic, as Nny had so kindly noted. Edgar sighed. Why was he still here?

Edgar was confounded by his own actions. Most of the things in his grocery bags he owned already, and was sitting in his apartment. He could have gone and gotten them. But for some reason he was avoiding going back like the plague. On the seventh day (Today), he'd finally caved to the need to change clothes and to take a shower. He'd been avoiding going to the market again because of all the stares he'd been receiving. Was it because of how badly he smelled? He was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing all week; he hadn't showered in a week, or put on any deodorant. He surely smelled horrific. But those were just delusions. Edgar knew why people were staring at him. It was because he'd been out to eat with Johnny so many times now, they'd been seen together. People were starting to connect him with Nny, and so they gave him _looks_. They were not looks that Edgar enjoyed a great deal. They were disgusted, sympathetic, and sometimes frightened looks. He was beginning to realize that people thought he was like Johnny because he was with him all the time. This theory both offended him and worried him. What if he was becoming like Johnny? It wasn't a pleasant thought. Edgar found himself pushing it to the back of his mind.

He had his hand on the doorknob, about to reenter the house when a voice stopped him. A frantic, warning-filled tone shouted at him not to go in there. Edgar turned around and saw a small boy standing on the sidewalk looking terrified. Quickly he opened the door and set his groceries inside before shutting it again and slowly approaching the traumatized looking child. He knelt down on the sidewalk next to him.

"What are you doing?" The boy squealed, "That's where the scary man lives, if you go in there he'll kill you."

That last part was said in a frightened whisper, as if Johnny could hear him from the bowels of the house. Edgar shook his head, "I'll be fine. He was going to kill me, I think, but then he decided not to."

The boy didn't look so convinced so Edgar added, "I've been living there for a week now and I'm perfectly fine."

"I think my daddy got tired of all the noise he's been making so he went over there. I was just…do you know if…if he…?"

Edgar's eyes widened in comprehension, "You're squee, aren't you?"

"My name's Todd. But…but squee is what the scary neighbor man calls me."

"It was your dad coming over that distracted him from killing me!" Edgar couldn't help the note of happiness that crept into his voice. "I don't know if he's still alive but I can ask for you if you want."

"Squee." He muttered under his breath, obviously traumatized for life. Edgar felt bad for the kid. He was about to invite him in but caught himself. That would probably be a bad idea.

"Here, I'll go ask him right now, and then I'll come and tell you. Stay here. I'll be right back." Edgar told him. Little Todd nodded his head and his eyes remained their widened terrified size.

He went back to the door, this time going in. He picked up his groceries and took them into the kitchen where he put them onto the counter. The twang of Nny scrubbing away at his saw echoed throughout the main floor from the bathroom. Edgar made his way there, pushing open the bathroom door to reveal Nny in his usual position. One foot bent under him, resting in the sink that Edgar had just cleaned that morning, and the other resting on the toilet seat (which he had also just cleaned). He would have said something but there really was no point. Either Nny would mock him for his clean freakness or he wouldn't grace him with a response.

"Squee's outside and he wants to know if you killed his dad or not." Edgar announced. Nny's head snapped up and his eyes grew intent.

"Oh, he's not dead. He's still in the basement though." He frowned, "I'm not sure what to do with him. If I kill him it will upset Squee. But if I let him go he might move them all away. Then there would be no one to look out for Squee."

"Why don't you go ask him about it?"

Without a word, he hopped off the sink and set his saw down on the floor. He flew by Edgar and out the front door. Following him outside, he then stood a foot or so away from the two of them, listening in on the odd conversation.

"Now Squee, think about this rationally, have those filthy sacks of human waste ever really done a good job of taking care of you?" Todd looked frightened beyond belief, so Edgar decided to intervene.

"Um, Todd." Both heads turned towards him, Nny appeared both frustrated at being interrupted and curious as to what Edgar was getting at. Todd merely looked relieved. "What I think Nny is trying to say is, that your parents aren't very good at being parents."

Edgar felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. He wasn't sure why until he realized that he'd never actually said Nny's name out loud before. It seems like they never said each other's names because there was no need. They never had to specify who they were talking to as they were the only ones in the house besides the numerous nameless victims in the basement. It felt very odd to say the name, Nny, pronounced knee. It was like he'd forgotten that the sound formed by the movements his tongue made was actually a name, the name of the man he was living with sort of not really. His focus homed in on the small boy standing in front of him when he began to speak quickly and defensively.

"No, they're fine! Really! They don't mean all the things they say-Schmee, that wasn't nice." The child's attention was captured by the stuffed bear in his hands.

Edgar sighed. He was surrounded by crazy people; even cute, innocent seeming children were insane. What was wrong with this place? He tried a different approach, "Todd, though I'm sure that it doesn't seem like it at times, I think Nny really does care about your wellbeing and he's just trying to do what's best for you. Which, it looks like your parents aren't very good at."

Nny nodded vigorously in agreement with this statement. Todd gazed forlornly down at the sidewalk. Edgar could feel the annoyance and impatience radiating off of Johnny and sought a way to placate the situation. He picked the boy up off the sidewalk and carried him towards the house.

"Here, how bout this Todd, we take you to see your dad. You can talk to him if you want, and then you can decide whether or not you still want Nny to let him go." Todd stared at the house that was rapidly approaching with every long stride Edgar took.

"Squee." He murmured.

Nny was hot on their heels, following them through the house and down into the basement. Eventually Edgar realized that he didn't know where Todd's father was so he allowed Nny to lead the way. Todd was curled against Edgar's chest, shrinking into himself the farther down they went. Edgar was really starting to wonder if this was a good idea. The poor boy was so scared that he was hiding his face against the chest of a man he didn't even know. After a while they came upon a door in a section of the basement that Edgar hadn't spent very much time in. Nny opened it and walked in. There was a man cuffed to the wall in there that Todd apparently recognized because he threw himself out of Edgar's arms. Nny's latest victim was extremely unremarkable in the true sense of the word. He looked to be a young parent, in his late twenties or early thirties. He was of average height, an uninteresting shade of brown hair, brown eyes and pinkish skin. The only thing that stuck out about him was that his had quite hairy legs that showed in the gap between the hem of his pants and the cuffs of his socks. He also had a bit of a gut that Edgar found only added to his average appearance.

"Daddy! Are you okay?" Todd cried, genuinely concerned.

"Ugh, NO, I am NOT fine! What makes you think I'm fine?" The man growled, "First you had the nerve to be born instead of miscarrying, and no matter what we do you continue to love us and talk to us! Then, your idiotic 'scary neighbor man' chains me to a wall and leaves me down here to rot! No, I am _not_ fine!"

Todd appeared unfazed, as if this was a perfectly normal thing to hear from one's parent. Edgar was repulsed. No wonder Nny was so torn. But the boy seemed to care for his parents despite their repugnant personalities, so what were they supposed to do.

"But Daddy, I came down here to get you!"

"Oh, that's really encouraging. I'm being rescued by the sniveling, sanity challenged child I accidentally brought into being!"

"Daddy, they're going to let you down and we can go home." Todd's cute face was growing more and more crestfallen. Nny was becoming infuriated; Edgar could feel it from his side of the room. He had to get the boy out of here before Nny did something to the pitiful excuse of a father.

"Todd, c'mon we should probably get out of here. Maybe you should try talking him later…" Edgar picked up the boy who felt boneless in his arms. He glanced back at Johnny who was shaking with rage.

"Stay right here, okay?" Edgar set Todd down on the floor in the hallway just outside the room. He checked with him for confirmation, he nodded. "I'll be right back."

Edgar reentered the room and shut the door behind him. He carefully came up behind Nny and rested a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around and backhanded Edgar so forcefully he fell backwards a few steps. His face prickled as if it was numb and just starting to wake up. But once it woke up it burned with a vengeance. Nny screamed obscenities at the man, and occasionally spun around at Edgar to tell him to stay out of it, if he took but a step. When he saw Nny pull out his swords, Edgar knew he had to do something. He had told Todd that he would get to make the choice, not Nny.

He strode forward and ducked quickly when Nny spun around to hit him again. Edgar grabbed Johnny's wrists and forcefully twisted them the wrong way. His fingers reflexively loosened and his swords slipped from his hands. Desperately he kicked them across the room out of his reach. Johnny glared at him, screaming at him but Edger rolled his eyes. He used his larger frame and heavier stance to push Johnny backwards into a more fragile position.

"Okay, you know what? You need to suck it up and calm down." Edgar forced his voice to lose its frustration and be more reasonable. This was very hard to do with a wiry, flexible little bastard writhing in your grip trying to get back to his weapons.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Johnny's voice was reaching new pitches that Edgar was happy he had not heard before this moment. His ears were starting to ring.

He twisted Nny's arms behind his back and forced him up against the wall, allowing him to move his head to the side so he could breathe. Stepping on his feet he kept him as still as possible.

"You're acting childish, and immature. You need to stop screaming and whining and insulting people for just a minute."

That silenced him. He settled for a quiet huffy tantrum that involved much glaring and sneering. Edgar sighed. "Remember? I told Todd that he could talk to his dad if he wanted, to compromise. But right now, this isn't working so we're taking a break."

"I don't remember putting you in charge of what I do."

"You didn't put me in charge; _I_ put me in charge, because you were acting like an emotional little brat who can't control himself." Edgar paused, "You don't get to do that stuff in front of the kid. If his parents are as horrible as you make them out to be, then be better than them."

"How dare you compare me to those worthless feculent degenerates? Of course I'm better than them!"

"Then prove it! Go ahead, be crazy, and sadistic, and disgusting all you want down here in the basement, I can deal with it, but don't do it in front of Todd. Do you understand?"

Nny did not respond to that but he had ceased glaring. He was staring at the door, Edgar turned. Todd had come in and was standing a few feet in from the doorway and he was staring right past them at his father. The man had fallen suspiciously silent during the altercation, Edgar had nearly forgotten he was in the room.

"Daddy, do you love me?" Todd asked the floor.

"No, son, you ruined my life and I hate you for being born." His father replied in exasperation, as if he'd had to say this too many times.

Todd was silent for a moment. He continued staring at the floor, or he might have been looking at Schmee, the bear. Then he looked up at his father and asked his father if 'mommy' loved him either. His father answered tonelessly with a much similar answer. Todd chose to gaze at the ceiling then, inspecting the light bulb with rabid fascination. Then, he turned to Edgar and Nny, peering at them intently.

"Mr. Neighbor man?" He inquired.

"Yes Squee?" Nny answered.

"You can kill my daddy if you want." He murmured meekly, "And my mommy if you feel like it."

"What?" His father yelled, "No! Son! Don't leave me here!"

Todd turned and went out of the room. He returned to the doorway a minute later and looked meaningfully at Edgar. "'Scuse me, could…could you walk upstairs with me? The screaming is frightening me."

"Sure." Edgar released an all too eager Johnny from his hold, and padded over to the doorway.

He could hear Nny lunging for his swords, so Edgar hurriedly picked up Todd and pelted up the stairs away from the room. Thankfully, soon the other screams drowned out what was probably Todd's father's. Edgar never lessened his pace as they went up the stairs. He didn't want to stop until he was all the way out of the horrifying basement. THERE. He skidded through the doorway at the top and slammed the door shut on all the pained voices. He shuffled into the bedroom that seemed to never be inhabited. Edgar put Todd down on the bed and tried to catch his breath. There were so many stairs.

"'Scuse me," Again with the soft voice, Edgar looked up at the boy, "what's your name?"

"Edgar." He answered.

"Thank you for going with me up the stairs. I don't like the screams."

"No problem kiddo, I don't like 'em either. Kinda creepy huh?"

The boy nodded his head vigorously. Edgar chuckled.

"I'm gonna go clean the bathroom, and take a shower, okay?"

Todd's eyes widened, and Edgar sighed, "I promise, I'll be right across the hall, I'm not leaving you."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I might go outside though because I need to bury the…er…_things_ in the tub before I scrub it out."

"What things?"

"Oh…things you don't wanna know."

"Okay!"

Todd leapt further onto the bed and dove under the covers. Soon he was no more than a very, very still lump on the mattress. Edgar sniggered, he grabbed the shovel that was leaning against the wall and one of the buckets next to it. Into the bathroom he went. He set down his shovel and bucket and plucked the saw off the floor so he could lean it up against the wall. Then he picked his Playtex gloves off the floor and started loading limbs into the bucket until it was full. He usually had to make no more than three trips, sometimes four if he procrastinated. Out into the front yard he went. More time must have passed than he thought because it was getting dark out. There were few people walking the suburb this late so he didn't have to worry about the weird looks he got.

Cleaning out the tub was always an interesting venture. Once he grew so insensitive to the act of touching amputated body parts of tortured human beings that it was disturbingly meaningless, it became such a chore. When he first got used to it was when he noticed the looks. No one said anything, no one came near him. In fact, sometimes people ran across the street to walk on the opposite sidewalk. It sort of helped to be thought of as a Johnny clone. No one really talked to him, they seemed to like talking to Johnny, but they avoided talking to Edgar. Maybe it was his more healthy weight and size? He actually looked like he could beat the crap out of someone? Who knows. What both elated and irked him was the fact that no one was whipping out their cell phones to dial 911. Or, better yet, there was the happenstance that when Sherriff cars went cruising by they did nothing. Was it completely fine for him to be burying body parts of people in his front yard? Would no one stop him? No, no they wouldn't. It was quite odd really.

Edgar examined the yard. He distinctly remembered burying in this section just yesterday. He moved across to the other corner and started digging a significant hole. Grabbing the bucket by the handle and hoisting it over sideways he poured the limbs into the hole and went inside for more. After repeating the process a predicted three times he filled in the hole and replaced the bucket and shovel in the bedroom. Todd, he noted, had wriggled up so his head poked out of the covers slightly. He was sleeping peacefully, and Edgar also noticed, Nny had yet to come out of the basement. Oh well, it wasn't all that tragic that Todd's father was dying a very painful, torturous death. At least, it wasn't tragic now that Todd had given the ok. If it had turned out that under that hateful shell the man had been a decent person and Nny had ended up killing him, that would have been bad. But, the hateful shell was really a hateful whole person. So now he was being murdered. Yippee.

After scrubbing the tub thoroughly, he went into the kitchen and got all of the bathroom things he'd purchased earlier that day. Several bath towels, some shampoo, soap, and wash cloths. Hand soap for the sink and a profuse number of packets of clean underwear. He put everything in their newly designated places before wandering into the bedroom. Edgar wasn't sure about this, well, he was sure and he wasn't. He was staring at the one thing in the bedroom he knew that Johnny used: the dresser. Carefully so as to not awaken Todd, Edgar opened the drawers. Inside was an abundance of clothing. He picked out some he hadn't seen Johnny wear and shut the drawers before heading out of the room and across the hall. He peeled his disgusting clothes off of him and let them fall to the floor. Then he stepped into the freshly cleaned bathtub and reached for the faucet. When the hot water came on it shocked him a little, he was preparing himself for frigid water droplets hitting him in the eye. Instead he was provided decent, warm water that broke through the shell of dirt that had been encasing him for the past few days. Then he grabbed the shampoo and dumped more than he probably needed onto his head. He scrubbed it into his scalp and through his lank hair. As he rinsed off the shampoo he could feel the stink melt away. It was a sublimely unique experience, he relished it.

Just as he was stepping out of the tub and reaching for a towel the bathroom door opened. Nny stood in the door way with a bucket of limbs to put in the tub. He stared at Edgar in a mixture of confusion and frustration that Edgar found slightly disconcerting. Still, knowing how easily he'd been able to get Nny under control, Edgar moved out of his way and began drying himself off and getting dressed. Nny moved around him, pouring the fresh limbs into the tub and grabbing his saw and a sponge. He propped himself up on the counter and glared at Edgar in a way that was probably supposed to be intimidating. Edgar pulled on the clean clothes he's picked out and then grabbed the dirty ones off the floor. He walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Across the hall in the bedroom he set his dirty clothes in the corner, designating that spot as the dirty clothes corner. He glanced at Todd to check on him and found that he'd been tucked in, a pillow put under his head. Edgar climbed into the bed next to the boy, but leaving a respectable distance, and fell asleep.

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter 4

Nudge, nudge. Edgar shuddered and wiggled away from the prodding. Nudge, nudge. He rolled over. Todd was staring at him in his timid way from just over the top of the blanket. Edgar glanced up at the alarm clock and saw that it was seven in the morning. When had he gone to bed? Eight? That was the most sleep he'd gotten in a week. He was clean too! What a day this was going to be. Still, his routine was broken now. If he recalled correctly, Nny had killed Todd's Dad, and probably also his Mom. So now this small traumatized child was within their care. Nny wouldn't know the first thing about taking care of a kid, that was for certain. Edgar wasn't much better off either, but he still had some iota of compassion which definitely put him ahead of the crazy man in the basement.

"Good morning, Todd."

The boy nodded his head nervously but didn't say anything. Edgar tried again, "Do you want some breakfast?"

Again the nod. Edgar slid out from underneath the blankets and stood, stretching. He popped his back and raised his arms high above his head. Just as he was half way through a yawn he heard a mumbled 'Mr. Edgar?' from behind him. He turned and looked down at the bed where Todd was now propped up on one elbow. He was staring pitifully at the bed waiting for a reply but not daring to ask again.

"Yes Todd?"

"Um, I have to be at school by eight, I usually walk but…could you walk with me?"

"Of course. Now come on, let's go get some breakfast started." Edgar scooped Todd up in his arms and took him out of the bedroom.

It was such an intimate gesture, to hold him, but Todd didn't seem to mind. For a reason that Edgar couldn't put words to, it didn't really feel wrong for him to treat Todd like he'd known him for years. Instead it felt like what he should be doing. He set the boy down in the kitchen and started picking things out of the fridge. There were a few eggs, which he'd found to be good. No bacon to be found, and he wasn't sure where the bread had run off to. But there was some milk that looked alright. The expiration date was a week from then so he took it out of the fridge and set it on the counter. As he was making breakfast, he heard Todd wandering around looking at things. Edgar glanced at his watch every now and then to make sure they wouldn't run late. When he'd finished making some scrambled eggs his eyes ran over the room looking for a place for Todd to eat.

"Hold on a sec." He muttered, more to himself than to the boy standing at his side.

Edgar wiped off the counter with one quick swipe. Then he hoisted Todd of the floor and set him on the counter next to his breakfast.

"T'ank you for making me breakfast."

"Your welcome." Edgar peeked at his watch. They had about fifteen minutes until Todd's school started. "Which school do you go to?"

"P.S. 8."

Edgar tried to draw a map of the town in his head. P.S. 8 was downtown in the middle of things, across the street from the grocery market and the bookstore. That was about a twenty minute walk, if he was by himself. When he walked with other people he tended to slow down. Usually the other person was Nny and he tended to move at a leisurely pace despite the verbal harassment he was receiving. Todd had short stubby child legs, which meant he probably padded down the street at a much slower pace than even Nny. Well, he could be a little late. Besides, everyone in town knew by now that Edgar was associated with Nny. That, and the crazy man seemed to care about the child they were now the pseudo-parents of. If anyone made Todd's life even the littlest bit difficult, Edgar was sure that Nny would hunt them down. Then he would taze them, tie them up, and drag them into the basement. Their limbs would be in the bathtub later that day.

"C'mon, put your plate in the sink. We need to start heading out."

"Heading out where?" Nny's voice tore through the comfortable air like a gunshot. Todd tensed and started murmuring the word 'squee'.

"Todd has to go to school. We're already going to be late so I thought I'd walk him there."

"Ew, school." Nny shuddered, "Why does he need to go there?"

"Because he's a kid and kids need to go to school."

"I ignored almost all of the things they told me in school and look, I turned out fine!" He planted his hands on his hips for emphasis. Edgar arched an eyebrow.

"Ohhhh, _okay_. C'mon Todd."

Edgar set the boy down on the floor and took his hand. Together they headed for the door. Todd was telling him about how they needed to go next door to get his backpack first when Johnny appeared next to them. 'I want to come too!' he exclaimed, much to Todd's displeasure. It wasn't too warm outside so while they were at it, they searched for a jacket in Todd's old house. Edgar was about to inspect the kitchen and nick what food he could when Nny leapt in front of him. His eyes shifted back and forth, finally landing on Todd who was standing just behind Edgar. He attempted to lean casually against the doorframe while also blocking the path into the kitchen, but instead looked very awkward. Edgar's eyes narrowed in frustration. He was wasting time.

"Squee you should wait in the living room. Edgar and I need to talk about grown up things in the kitchen."

Todd disappeared from the room in a blur. Edgar rolled his eyes and joined Nny in the kitchen. As soon as he had entered the room he saw why Todd had been instructed to go elsewhere. A pale, blonde woman lay in pieces on the floor. Blood was everywhere, spattered on everything in an impressively large radius. What pieces Edgar was capable of peeking at had some of the silverware poking out of them. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in and out through his mouth. Then he opened his eyes again and opened the door to the fridge. It was taking all of his willpower to ignore the blood on the door handle he was touching. There was too much food in there to sift through at the moment. They had to get Todd to school. Edgar glanced up at Nny who'd taken a seat on one of the counters, despite its filth. He was going to say something about the woman on the floor. But at the last minute he changed his mind.

"Thank you for remembering…about Todd, for making sure he didn't see this."

"I don't like being shoved up against walls." Was Nny's reply. He leapt from the counter and exited the kitchen.

Edgar sighed and followed, making sure to step around the various body parts. They found Todd in the living room, where he'd been told to go. He was sitting on the small, uncomfortable looking couch with his backpack and schmee. After a brief look at his watch, Edgar realized that Todd was laughably late for school by now. They, too, still had to get him there. 'C'mon, Todd' Edgar called. The small boy slid off the couch and scurried over to take Edgar's hand in his tiny one. Together, the three of them walked out the door and headed for school.

**TBC…**


	5. Chapter 5

Why was he here? Oh right, because finally the post office had called his cell phone and told him that his mailbox was full. The mail man refused to deliver any more mail to him unless he came and emptied the fit to burst mailbox. So there he was, at the box, the key to it in his hand. He slipped the faded gold key into the lock and turned. Releasing the lock holding it all back, the pressure that had built up from all the mail forced the door open. A week's worth of mail came pouring out of the box and to his feet. Edgar picked it all up and started fitting it under his arm. He barely managed to close and lock the thing again without dropping all of his mail.

Edgar glared up the stairwell at the second floor apartments. His apartment was 2B. He could see it from there. All of his belongings were in there. Why couldn't they just magically appear in the trunk of the car so he could take them back to Nny's house? Why did he _have_ to go up _there_ to get them? It was frustrating, that's what it was. He wanted his things, he did. But he felt that if he went up those stairs and entered his apartment reality would come crashing down on him. There was also the point that if he brought all his things back to Nny's everything would suddenly become more real too. Edgar assumed that he and Nny 'lived together'. Technically they did. He'd been there a week already and hadn't left. But did that constitute the term 'living together'? That could, in all reasonability, be an exceptionally long sleepover. But why on earth would he have a 'sleepover' at Johnny's house? They hardly talked to each other! They were making personal compromises for each other and Edgar was still trying to reason out whether or not he lived there. He sighed.

Instead of going up the stairs he inevitably turned away and headed towards the sidewalk. That's where he'd parked Nny's car. He hadn't even known that Nny had a car until nearly twenty minutes ago. It wasn't like he hadn't noticed the driveway next to the house. It wasn't like he hadn't walked down it once upon a few days ago and seen the garage door. He just hadn't thought there would actually be a car in it. Whenever Nny and him had ever gone out together they'd always walked. Edgar had figured there was probably piles of mutilated corpses in the garage and that it'd be better if he'd just steered clear. Finally, however, he'd had a thought while laying on the bed staring at the alarm clock. He'd still had roughly two hours before he had to pick up Todd from school. He hoped that he could find a way to go out and buy a table and other assorted furniture that Johnny seemed to lack. Edgar didn't want to have to make Todd sit on the counter to eat his meals all the time. It was then that he realized that he'd never actually checked the garage for a car, and so promptly went and did so. Lo and behold, there really was a car in there. It was old, squat, and portly like a senior citizen. There were blood stains on it but other than that it didn't seem all that worse for wear.

"Hey, where are the car keys? I wanna go pick up some things at the mall after I pick up Todd." Edgar had asked Nny nonchalantly after finding him within the deeper bowels of the basement.

"I think I left them in the cupboard under the sink, in the bathroom." He'd responded.

That was that. Now, twenty minutes later he was sitting in the driver's seat tossing his mail onto the passenger's seat as he went through it. About halfway through it all he came upon the envelope he was dreading seeing. It was a letter from his work. They'd probably fired him. He hadn't gone in four work days in a row. Surely they'd fired him. Did he really want to open this? No, not really. Edgar grabbed the whole pile of mail and tossed it into the surprisingly immaculate backseat. He still had a while before Todd got out of school so he decided to head over to the local Bulls-eye store and check out their cheap furniture.


	6. Chapter 6

Why was he here? Oh right, because finally the post office had called his cell phone and told him that his mailbox was full. The mail man refused to deliver any more mail to him unless he came and emptied the fit to burst mailbox. So there he was, at the box, the key to it in his hand. He slipped the faded gold key into the lock and turned. Releasing the lock holding it all back, the pressure that had built up from all the mail forced the door open. A week's worth of mail came pouring out of the box and to his feet. Edgar picked it all up and started fitting it under his arm. He barely managed to close and lock the thing again without dropping all of his mail.

Edgar glared up the stairwell at the second floor apartments. His apartment was 2B. He could see it from there. All of his belongings were in there. Why couldn't they just magically appear in the trunk of the car so he could take them back to Nny's house? Why did he _have_ to go up _there_ to get them? It was frustrating, that's what it was. He wanted his things, he did. But he felt that if he went up those stairs and entered his apartment reality would come crashing down on him. There was also the point that if he brought all his things back to Nny's everything would suddenly become more real too. Edgar assumed that he and Nny 'lived together'. Technically they did. He'd been there a week already and hadn't left. But did that constitute the term 'living together'? That could, in all reasonability, be an exceptionally long sleepover. But why on earth would he have a 'sleepover' at Johnny's house? They hardly talked to each other! They were making personal compromises for each other and Edgar was still trying to reason out whether or not he lived there. He sighed.

Instead of going up the stairs he inevitably turned away and headed towards the sidewalk. That's where he'd parked Nny's car. He hadn't even known that Nny had a car until nearly twenty minutes ago. It wasn't like he hadn't noticed the driveway next to the house. It wasn't like he hadn't walked down it once upon a few days ago and seen the garage door. He just hadn't thought there would actually be a car in it. Whenever Nny and him had ever gone out together they'd always walked. Edgar had figured there was probably piles of mutilated corpses in the garage and that it'd be better if he'd just steered clear. Finally, however, he'd had a thought while lying on the bed staring at the alarm clock. He'd still had roughly two hours before he had to pick up Todd from school. He hoped that he could find a way to go out and buy a table and other assorted furniture that Johnny seemed to lack. Edgar didn't want to have to make Todd sit on the counter to eat his meals all the time. It was then that he realized that he'd never actually checked the garage for a car, and so promptly went and did so. Lo and behold, there really was a car in there. It was old, squat, and portly like a senior citizen. There were blood stains on it but other than that it didn't seem all that worse for wear.

"Hey, where are the car keys? I wanna go pick up some things at the mall after I pick up Todd." Edgar had asked Nny nonchalantly after finding him within the deeper bowels of the basement.

"I think I left them in the cupboard under the sink, in the bathroom." He'd responded.

That was that. Now, twenty minutes later he was sitting in the driver's seat tossing his mail onto the passenger's seat as he went through it. About halfway through it all he came upon the envelope he was dreading seeing. It was a letter from his work. They'd probably fired him. He hadn't gone in four work days in a row. Surely they'd fired him. Did he really want to open this? No, not really. Edgar grabbed the whole pile of mail and tossed it into the surprisingly immaculate backseat. He still had a while before Todd got out of school so he decided to head over to the local Bulls-eye store and check out their cheap furniture. There wasn't time for an extensive ogling of all the matching armoires and area rugs. He only really had a little over an hour or so before he had to go over to P.S. 8. Getting around was much easier now that he could drive. Edgar was really surprised that Nny actually let him use the car. But then again, he also should have been surprised that Nny didn't kill that one guy in the grocery store. Hmm, oh well.

Edgar grabbed a cart and leant heavily on the handle bar as he shuffled through the automatic sliding doors. They'd turned the air conditioner on full blast and it made him shiver. Nny's clothes were quite threadbare, (he found out) and didn't provide much warmth at all. As he was heading to the furniture department Edgar noticed that people were staring at him. Again. He leered back, putting forth as much distaste as possible. Still, as the people passed, his glares did nothing so he gave up. Instead he swerved onto the first of four or so furniture aisles and returned to his original mission. Hmm. That could work. How much was the stupid thing? A little over $200? Whatever. He didn't care anymore. If he really wanted something he could always ask Nny to help him steal it. No one dared to stop Nny if he wanted something. The same warped reality of burying limbs in one's front yard not being odd also applied to Nny's ability to not pay for things he wanted. He reached down to grab the box of furniture and attempted to lift it into his cart. Oh this was not gonna work. He glanced around, hoping to find some burly steroid cruncher to lift it for him. Aha! There was one.

He maneuvered towards the teen standing a few aisles away and cleared his throat politely. _Probably a quarterback…or a wrestler._ Edgar thought. All tight, overly gratuitous muscle and a too small red polo. The poster athlete spared a look for Edgar and said, 'what?' Edgar explained that he needed some help lifting a table set into his cart and the boy snorted. What was so funny about this? Edgar didn't bother to ponder it and merely led the way back to his cart. 'This one?' he gestured and Edgar nodded. Together they managed to lift the thing and put it into the cart. After Edgar picked out a few chairs to fit onto his cart too, he thanked the employee for his help. But after the words had left his lips he froze. 'Yes Ma'am' was the reply he received. He wasn't sure what it was inside him that snapped. An hour later when he was picking up Todd from school he still wouldn't be able to explain it.

The feel of that idiot's blood on his hands was disturbingly enjoyable. Slamming his face through the glass door on a cabinet was the most fun he'd had in months, perhaps years of his life. Then, watching the boy fall to the floor with pieces of glass stabbing into his face all over he'd felt downright euphoric. He'd pushed his cart to the front, bought his furniture. Calmly he'd requested a rather smartly dressed man to help him load his purchases into the compact car. Then he'd driven to the bookstore, bought a book of crossword puzzles and gone to Todd's school. There he sat, in the parking lot by the main office door doing crossword puzzles until he heard the bell ring. That was when he'd set the book on the passenger seat and entered the school to go search for Todd. He'd been less than successful.

"Excuse me sir…but um, you're looking for Todd, aren't you?" A shaking, nearly bald old woman from behind the office counter asked.

Edgar turned to face her. He recognized her from that morning. She'd been the one to protest handing over the paperwork to Johnny…who'd then sliced off most of her hair. He smiled widely and nodded. He asked her if perhaps she could call him over the intercom. She muttered under her breath a 'yes' and reached for the phone. As she called Todd's name over the intercom for him, Edgar's mind dwelled not on his earlier act of violence. No, he was more worried about the dinner tomorrow night. He really, really didn't want to go. There he would once again be faced with Barbara. Edgar was sure he needed to get over it. After all, her son was a friend of Todd's. That surely counted for something. Todd would probably be spending a good deal of time over there and perhaps Pepito at their house. Gosh they needed to clean things up. He had a lot of things to do.

"Mr. Edgar?"

Edgar whirled around. Todd stood a foot or so away, looking up at him with a smattering of different expressions upon his face. "C'mon Todd, time to take you home."

The boy smiled shyly, "T'ank you for coming to get me."

He skipped over to Edgar and took his hand. Out the front door they went and then over to the car. Todd clambered into the front seat and put on his seat belt. Then he looked around, examining the boxes with chairs in them resting in the backseat. The first thing out of Todd's mouth was, 'did scary neighbor man steal this car?' Edgar found he didn't actually know. He told Todd that he found the car in the garage and that was all he knew. The boy nodded in acceptance and leaned back into the chair.

"So…you know a boy named Pepito at school right?" Edgar asked casually.

Todd wrinkled up his nose. "Um…I guess. I go over to his house sometimes."

"Well, his mom and dad are friends of Nny's and they've invited us all over for dinner tomorrow night."

"What did scary neighbor man say?" Todd squealed.

"He agreed, so now we're going." Edgar didn't bother trying to hide his disappointment.

"But why would he do that? I mean…I…" Todd trailed off in distress, "I like Pepito…I guess, but his parents are weird. Did scary neighbor man tell you that Pepito's dad is Satan?"

"Is he that bad?" Edgar laughed.

Todd squirmed in his seat, "No, he's actually very nice. He likes to be called Juan. It's just…he takes off his human disguise when he's at home. It's scary."

Edgar rolled his eyes and nodded, as though to say he understood. Todd was obviously traumatized both by Johnny and by his parents. Anything he said was most likely unreliable. But, then again, he'd told his parents numerous times about Nny and they'd thought the same thing. Hmm. They pulled into the garage, and little Todd hopped out, scurrying on into the house. Edgar stayed behind and started taking the chairs in one at a time. Inside, Johnny was sitting on the beaten up couch watching TV. As Edgar began setting down the boxes near the kitchen entry way, Johnny looked up.

"What did you get now?" He grumbled.

"A table and some chairs, so Todd doesn't have to eat his breakfast on the counter all the time."

Johnny made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. But, he still stood up and went to help him bring in the table. It was quite laughable, the two of them trying to move it. Nny was downright skeletal with no muscle to his name. Edgar was a little better built but this thing was heavy. They barely managed to get it in the house. After that Edgar had to slide it across the floor over to the kitchen. He went back out to shut the garage door and lock it. Then he chucked the keys and his wallet onto the coffee table. He collapsed onto the couch next to Johnny and stared absently at the TV, not really watching the show it flashed.

"You have blood on you."

Edgar jumped slightly and turned to look at Johnny, who was still gazing at the TV screen. He'd been debating all the way home on telling him about it. About punching that moron…and getting glass in his face. But, he didn't know if he'd killed him or not. He looked quite alive when he was screaming and writhing on the ground. But that was just when he left. He might be dead now; maybe no one had cared enough to take him to the hospital. No. If he killed someone, actually, truly _killed_ them, he was becoming Nny.

"Shoved an idiot's face through a glass cabinet…after punching him. I think his nose bled on me…" Edgar reluctantly admitted.

"Before or after you picked up Squee?"

"Before."

"What did he say to you?"

"Yes, _ma'am_. When I thanked him for helping me move those boxes into my cart."

Johnny snorted, got up and went down the hallway. By the slam of the door, Edgar guessed he'd gone into the basement. He reached for the remote, grabbed it and turned off the TV. Before he got started on constructing furniture he wandered towards the bedroom. Sure enough, Todd was lying on his back in the middle of the bed, Schmee at his side. His head snapped up and his eyes locked onto Edgar as soon as the door opened. But once he realized it was only Edgar, not Nny, he let his head fall onto the bed.

"Do you have any homework to do? I barely remember what elementary school was like." Edgar mumbled.

"No, we do all our work in class." Todd answered.

Edgar paused. He didn't want the kid to just stay in here alone doing nothing. That couldn't be good for him. "Well, do you want to come help me put all that furniture together?"

"Okay."

Later that night they'd finished putting everything together. Granted they did get lost a few times. One furniture construction illiterate man and one seven year old were bound to have problems. But, eventually at around seven in the evening they were set to have dinner. Edgar moved around the kitchen picking up things here and there. Todd was sitting in his chair. He claimed it shortly after he'd finished building it by himself. Edgar had allowed the boy to cut a small notch in it. He didn't really see the problem with it, as long as he didn't make it unrecognizable.

"What are we having for dinner, Mr. Edgar?" Todd chirped.

"I'm still deciding but I'm leaning towards spaghetti. What do you think?" he replied.

"Spaghetti!"

Edgar chuckled. He began gathering the things he would need to make spaghetti for the three of them. In the meantime, Todd maintained a steady conversation with him. Edgar noted this was the most he'd heard the boy talk since he'd met him. It was good thing that he was loosening up enough to talk with him like this. It was just an assumption on his part, but Edgar guessed he was the most normal person Todd had ever met.

Once he'd set up the noodles to boil, all there was to do was wait. He'd put in enough for Nny to eat with them. He probably should go and find him and see if he wanted to join them.

"Todd, could you make sure the noodles don't boil over? I'm going to go find Nny and ask him if he wants to eat dinner with us."

"Do you have to?" Todd moaned woefully.

Edgar paused in the doorway to the kitchen. Todd was truly terrified of Johnny, and with good reason. But now that he'd agreed to never hurt someone in front of todd…there really was no reason for that fear to continue. He tured around and took a seat at the table across from Todd.

"You know, he made a deal with me the other day, Todd, concerning you." Edgar began.

"W-what was it? Did I do something wrong? I'm sooo-"

"No, you didn't do anything, Todd don't worry." Edgar assured him. When it looked like the boy had calmed down he continued on, saying, "He promised he would never hurt anyone in front of you, ever, and that he would keep all of that in the basement."

Well, so he was bending the truth a little. Nny had never used the words 'I promise'. Nor had he specified that he would in fact keep the violence away from Todd. But that very morning he'd kept the boy from going into the kitchen where his mother lay dead on the floor. He'd also asked Edgar if he'd hurt that idiot before or after he'd picked up Todd. He was making progress. So he wasn't _really_ lying.

"R-really?" Todd murmured, "He said he would?"

"Yes, he did. You know that he would never hurt you, either. In his own twisted way, I think that he just wanted to keep you safe." This…was also mostly true. Edgar was making lots of inferences. But, obviously, Todd had never joined the ranks of Nny's victims. Nor, Edgar had noticed, did Nny ever harm children. His prey consisted entirely of adults.

"Squee…" Todd whispered.

"Think of it this way Todd, he's probably quite horrendously insane," Was it sad that Edgar was now quoting the bastard? Probably, "and he cares about you. Do you think he knows how to take care of somebody like a normal person would?"

Edgar received a sigh and a reluctant 'I guess you're right'. So he stood up, told Todd to mind the spaghetti and that he was going to find Nny. He didn't make it very far. Edgar barely turned around the corner to head towards the basement and found Nny leaning against the wall. He didn't look all that disgruntled, just pensive. Edgar didn't see a point in asking him the question he'd wanted to find him for, if he'd just heard that entire conversation. Why else would he be just standing in the hallway like that if not to eavesdrop? So leant up against the wall next to Nny and waited for him to say something. After a few minutes of silence, Nny simply said, 'you trust easily'.

"So it would seem." Edgar retorted calmly, "Would you rather I not trust you?"

Nny didn't have anything to say to that. He pushed himself off of the wall and coolly brushed past him towards the kitchen. Edgar followed him, not wanting to push the issue any farther than that. He didn't want to start an argument, not in front of Todd at least. Maybe they could reserve all their fights for while he was at school? He was over thinking all of this. In the kitchen Todd had pulled a chair over to the stove and was standing on it so he could watch the boiling water. Nny sat down in the chair to Todd's right and to Edgar's left. When Nny entered the room Todd visibly tensed, but after a few minute he was forcing himself to calm down. Edgar took over the cooking, while handing plates and silverware to Todd for him to put on the table.

When all was said and done, and they sat down to eat Edgar felt surprisingly relaxed. He expected Nny to sit there, not touching his food and glaring at them. Instead he dug in, going so far as to take seconds. After dinner he scurried off to the basement. Edgar didn't really mind. He wasn't expecting miracles, like Nny asking to be excused or helping with the dishes. That would be like asking for world peace. Both equally as laughable and unlikely. Edgar ending up cleaning out the tub, and the rest of the bathroom for that matter, so that Todd could take a bath and so on before he went to bed. Before Todd went into the bathroom however he asked Edgar to venture over to his old house with him.

"I need to go get my clothes, they're still over there." Edgar nodded and followed along.

The door remained unlocked, so they meandered in turning on the lights as they went. Edgar marveled at the normality of the house, its décor and the fact that he knew there was a dead woman in the kitchen. He stood in the corner of Todd's old room watching him pick out armfuls of clothes from his dresser. Every once in a while he would hand a pile to Edgar to hold while he picked up a toy or two. For all of the loathing his parents expressed towards him, Todd wasn't dressed in rags. He had toys of his own; he had books, and movies. The only things really missing were parents that loved him. Instead he had the hateful scumbags that Johnny had killed yesterday night. After Todd decided he'd gotten everything he wanted for now they returned to the house. Edgar put Todd's clothes in the two empty drawers on the left side of Nny's dresser. The toys were put on top of it, and Edgar ushered Todd into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Finally, at around nine thirty Todd crawled into bed, squeaky clean and in his pajamas. Edgar shrugged off his shoes and socks and too slid under the covers.

"Goodnight Mr. Edgar." Todd mumbled.

"'Night Todd."

A few hours later, Edgar felt a nudge both in his back and to his front. Conflicted, he wasn't sure where to move to. In the end he rolled over and scooted in that direction. A squeak echoed and he moved back, squinting at the space in front of him. He'd taken his glasses off and set them on the bedside table. But there appeared to be a smallish blob on the bed by him who was now cuddling against him for warmth. He wrapped his arms around the blob and quickly rolled them over to be facing the source of the other nudge. Edgar stared in front of him and saw the nudge. It was handing him his glasses. Edgar took them and placed them on his face. He noted with mild irritation that the alarm clock said it was nearing midnight.

"What is it Nny?" He mumbled groggily, eyes closed behind his glasses.

"I want a cherry freezy."

"So go get one."

"Come with me. We can bring Squee."

"We're sleeping."

"Ew."

Edgar opened his eyes and glared at Johnny who lay on his side in front of him on the bed. He was staring intently at the little Todd who was curled up against Edgar's chest snoring lightly. A few minutes later he groaned and flopped onto his back muttering, 'yes, yes, sleeping now, okay'. Edgar took his glasses off and handed them to Nny who then put them on the nightstand it sounded like. A hand closed around Edgar's wrist, and he closed his eyes, relaxing completely.

"Why do you sleep?" Edgar's eyes snapped open and he glanced up at the blob that was Nny.

"Because as a human my body needs to recharge, sleep is one of the ways it does this. Also, R.E.M. sleep makes sure I remember what goes on in my life."

"Really? Sleep makes you remember things?" Nny questioned, "I never understood why people slept. Logically your body can in fact function for at least four or so days without sleep. So if you really wanted you could only sleep for one day a week. I mean, we spend so much time out of our lives 'recharging' as you called it. What a waste!"

"It's your brain's way of recording what's been happening for the past few days to long term memory. Sometimes your dreams don't really make sense, but if you notice sometimes the little details of them can be related to something you did a few days ago." Edgar sighed as he was becoming more and more awake.

"Hmm. I guess I just don't sleep often enough for me to notice that. I don't like the feeling I get after I wake up, so I just don't go to sleep."

"What feeling is that?"

"I feel like I can't tell if I'm in the same reality I fell asleep in, or if anything's the same as it was before. I can't prove for certain that I actually fell asleep, or if maybe everything that happened before I 'fell asleep' was a dream or…" He trailed off, leaving Edgar to wonder how anyone could let something like that bother them.

"No wonder you're crazy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nny growled.

"If you think like that all the time, it's bound to drive you crazy. I mean. To just continually _not_ accept things as they are, and to question in such away."

"How can you just accept? Why _don't_ you question?"

Edgar opened his eyes, now far more awake then he wanted to be. He stared straight ahead at where he knew Nny's face was. He could tell because the blob was turned, blinking at him. Edgar leaned just a little forward, almost having to prop up on his forearm to grab his glasses. He slipped them on and then eased back down on the bed. Nny was facing him, gazing at him intently, waiting for an answer. His eyes were different than usual. They were more rational looking somehow. His whole face was set into a serious expression, not at all manic. Edgar thought about it for a minute, why it was exactly he accepted. Why didn't he question?

"I've never really known anything else besides acceptance. I've been invisible all my life; I guess that I never thought to ask questions because nobody would hear them anyways. What was the point if no one would answer me?"

"I'm going to go get a cherry freezy."

"Okay."

"You can go back to sleep now." Johnny pulled Edgar's glasses off of his face and set them on the nightstand.

"Thank you."

The next day, as soon as Edgar walked out of the bedroom to use the toilet he was pounced on. Nny stood before him waving a piece of paper around as thought it was the most important thing in the universe. He grumbled tiredly 'gimme a minute' and shuffled into the bathroom to relieve himself. Just after he flushed Nny burst into the bathroom babbling insanely at him until Edgar grabbed the paper out of his hands and stared at it. It was a check to him, from his work, for his twice his usual salary. That was odd. He asked Johnny where he'd found this as he wandered towards the kitchen to get some breakfast going.

"You left your mail in the backseat. While I drank my freezy I went through all of them. They looked to all be junk, but I opened this one and money came out!"

Edgar rolled his eyes and asked Johnny to fetch him the envelope and the letter that came with the check. He did so, leaving Edgar to a brief respite. In the momentary silence he heard the bedroom door open, a few soft footsteps and then the opening and closing of the bathroom door. After that the front door opened and shut rather loudly and Johnny sped into the kitchen, depositing the requested items on the counter. Edgar picked up the letter and read through it. He'd been promoted. He now had a secretary, who'd kindly moved his things into his new office. He had an office? He hadn't been to work in days, no call in or anything. But according to his letter, his performance at work the past few days had been exemplary and that it was high time he'd be promoted. Edgar shook his head and fixed up three bowls of cereal and a few glasses of milk. Johnny sat down at the table in the same spot as before, taking the cereal offered to him, and the glass of milk.

A weary looking Todd appeared in the doorway, rubbing at his eyes. "G'morning Mr. Edgar, G'morning Nny."

"Hello Squee." Nny replied after swallowing his bite of Marshmallow Matey's.

Todd padded over to his seat and climbed up onto it. Edgar set down a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk in front of him before taking his own seat. For a minute or two they all ate their breakfast quietly, not talking. Edgar and Todd, both having just woken up weren't eager to start conversation. But Nny, who never slept was as awake as ever. He glanced between his two housemates, looking downright twitchy. After a while he clearly couldn't take it anymore. He turned to Todd, beaming. The boy didn't even have the energy to be fearful, so he merely stared back, glassy eyed.

"Squee, did Edgar tell you that we're going over to Pepito's house for dinner tonight?"

"Yes."

"Oh good, I wasn't aware that you knew him at school until his mother Barbara told me. You know, I'm a friend of the family. I met Senor Diablo a few months back when I killed myself."

"Really?" Todd perked up, "Why are you alive again?"

"Well, it's a kind of weird story actually…" Edgar barely listened as Nny elaborated a story that was hardly believable about how he met Pepito's father 'Senor Diablo' who was really Satan. Squee nodded, intrigued, and then explained his first time over to the house.

"Oh, he did that whole offer of eternal glory bit?"

"Yeah, it was scary."

"Ah, good ol' Juan cracks me up whenever he does that. He can't actually recruit me you know, cuz I'm the waste lock."

"Yeah."

Edgar stood up, collected the dishes and quickly washed them out and dried them. As he put them away he found that the other two were staring at him. "What?" He grumbled.

"Whaddya wanna do? We have till seven." Nny asked plainly.

"I was thinking of building a wooden tub like thing that I could line with a garbage bag. Maybe put it out in the living room for you to put the limbs in, instead of the tub that way I don't have to keep cleaning it out for Todd and I."

"Limbs?" Todd squealed.

Nny and Edgar ignored him, both staring at each other.

"What?" Edgar finally asked.

"I swear, every time you open your mouth it sounds like you're vomiting up episodes from the home improvement channel."

**TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

Well…that wasn't…too bad. Nny cut off the engine, yanking the keys from the ignition. As he jerked up the e-brake Edgar opened the door quickly and jetted out of the garage. He strode into the house and started pacing around the room. The garage door closed and locked, he could hear it from inside. Then there was the sound of Nny and Todd entering the house and shutting the front door. After that there was no sound. They were both watching him as he paced, waiting for him to explode. Couldn't they tell this _was_ him exploding? This is what he did. He walked around the room, breathing deeply and glaring at everything.

He…he…really was Satan. They weren't making things up, or joking or, or anything! Edgar thought he handled it pretty well. He hadn't screamed or tried to run away or anything. He nodded along like it was perfectly normal, sat down and maintained polite conversation. Even though _Juan_ had taken off his disguise and sat down on one side of the table with his wife Barbara and his son, Pepito, the anti-Christ. Nny, Todd, and him had sat on the side opposite them. The dinner itself was fabulous. Barbara had prepared a pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a small side salad. So whenever the woman would dominate Nny's attention with some conversation that lasted ten minutes, Edgar could focus his mind on the great tasting meal. When Edgar would start to speak and Nny not only blatantly ignored him, but talked over him to Juan, or even Todd, he would eat more salad.

After the dinner dishes had been cleared away, Barbara spent about a half an hour in the kitchen preparing a pie to go in the oven. At this point, the children were sent upstairs to play and the adults gathered in the living room for 'grown up time'. Edgar had been acutely aware of this set up when his parents would take him over to their friends' house for dinners much like this one. While the women prepared the desert he and the son of the 'friends' would go up to his room and ignore each other. They weren't actually friends, nor did they find each other's company enjoyable. But their parents never seemed to listen to them and thought that they were really close. Edgar stared through the doorway to the living room at the stairs Pepito and Todd had scurried up a few moments ago. He wondered if the two boys were in the same situation Edgar had been in all those years ago.

Over the course of his entire life, Edgar had perfected the art of inconspicuous silence. With most people, a lack of participation in a conversation would indicate their unhappiness. Yet, no one ever thought this to be the case with Edgar. In fact, if he did speak up, instead of remain quiet and submissive; someone thought perhaps he was unsettled. Even though children were seen, not heard, they were still visible. Edgar didn't even have that privilege. He was a waif floating in the background, eavesdropping on other people's lives because he did not have one of his own to experience. So it was quite a surprise when Juan acknowledged his presence while they sat in the living room. It came as such a shock to Edgar he floundered for a few minutes at what to say. What he did eventually come up with was rather meek and subdued. After that brief exchange he was allowed to fall away from the foreground again. All he wanted to do was go back to the house; or at the very least leave the room and go somewhere to wait for desert to be ready. The whole time the 'parents' spent socializing; Edgar sat at Nny's side, not saying a word. Juan, Barbara, and Nny held up a clearly enjoyable conversation, by the way they were laughing. Edgar knew if he tried to get up and leave his precious invisibility would wear off and people would wonder what was wrong. Even if he merely scooted to the opposite side of the couch he was sitting on…they would notice. It just wasn't fair.

Finally, mercifully the timer had gone off for the pie. Barbara had daintily hurried from the room to the kitchen where she removed the pie from the oven and gathered plates and silverware. She then called for the boys to come downstairs. Edgar withheld his sigh of relief for fear that Nny would notice, and Edgar knew he would. They once again gathered around the table for some apple pie with caramel sauce and a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. After that, Pepito begged his mom to let Todd spend the night. Todd, however, politely declined saying he'd rather just go home and sleep. Pepito looked at that point like he wanted to argue but refrained from doing so. Farewells were made and then Edgar, Nny, and Todd ventured down the walk to their car, hopped in and they went home.

Now they were home and Edgar was releasing all of his pent up frustration in the only way he'd ever known how. He walked. Surely he'd deteriorate the floorboards and at any moment they would give way, he would fall into the basement. A few minutes later he'd probably pick himself up and start marching around the hallway. Nny and Todd were still rooted to the spot, watching him, waiting for him to say or do something other than pace. Edgar sighed, finally, and decided he would turn all this restless energy into working on the new limb tub. By the time he'd gathered up his tools to start matching up the wood they'd bought earlier, Nny had made his way over to him. A large skeletal hand came to rest on his shoulder making him jump a little. Edgar forced himself to look up and meet Nny's eyes.

"So…how do you plan on putting this thing together? It didn't exactly come with instructions." Nny plopped down next to him on the floor, gazing at him intently.

Edgar shuddered as another wave of stress rolled through him trying to find a way out. He picked up the pieces he intended to use as the frame for the base and lined them up on the floor, explaining his plans as he did so. Nny nodded, asking questions every so often. After a while, Todd joined them on the floor and offered to help, but mostly he ended up watching. Todd was quite the trooper; he managed to stay awake for a long while. Edgar was just about to fit the lid onto the top of the box when Todd's forehead thumped down onto Edgar's leg. It was time to stop and take Todd to bed. Most of his restlessness had worn off by then anyways, leaving in its place an all encompassing exhaustion. What amazed Edgar most was the fact that Johnny had stayed with him the whole time, helping him fit things together and holding things up when asked. He carefully lifted Todd into his arms and stood up on partially numb legs.

Johnny stretched and also stood, following him into the bedroom. Edgar pulled back the covers enough to set Todd down on the sheets and pull the blanket back over him. The boy wriggled slightly, and then turned to look up at him with half lidded eyes. He smiled sleepily and muttered, 'Nighty night Mr. Edgar'. Then he stared down to the foot of the bed where Nny stood and added, 'and Nny'. Edgar smiled, smoothed back a fringe of hair from Todd's forehead before shuffling out of the room. Johnny came out shortly after, shutting the door quietly behind them. Together they quickly finished up the box, and Edgar stared down at it proudly. Hah. He was about to go find a plastic bag to line it with but Nny stopped him.

"Alright Home Depot, TV time."

"But I just need to…"

"Tomorrow."

Edgar sighed and allowed himself to be led over to the couch where he was forced to watch late night TV until his eyes rolled back in his skull. By the time he was nodding off Johnny was poking him in the shoulder inquiring about cherry freezies. Edgar grumbled at him, trying to indicate he was too tired to go anywhere. Johnny was muttering something about getting him coffee to wake him up and Edgar shook his head again. He didn't even notice that his eyes were closed until Nny pried one of them open. He shook himself awake enough to keep his eyes open for a moment or two.

"Nny I'm too tired to go out and get a cherry freezy."

"You're always tired."

"I'm tired at night, when those of us who can't stay awake for months at a time are usually tired."

"Squee is infecting you. You didn't use to be like this."

Edgar was going to argue this but wasn't sure what to say. It was basically true. With the presence of Todd, he'd had to stay mostly awake during the day whereas before he would sleep for hours. His old schedule had been 'sleep by day/cherry freezies by night'. He ended up falling asleep around nine in the morning and waking up at six in the evening. It worked for them because Nny usually spent most of his day in the basement and only came up to the ground floor during the nighttime.

"I still slept before Todd started living with us. I just slept during the day when you were in the basement."

"He admits his crime!" Nny pointed at him theatrically, holding himself far away from Edgar.

Edgar rolled his eyes, "Besides, I don't like the idea of leaving Todd here by himself this late at night. And no that doesn't mean we should wake him up and take him with us."

Johnny looked disappointed when Edgar had countered him before he could say anything. Finally he sighed and slid back down against the couch, turning his attention to the TV. Edgar felt slightly bad about this. This had been something that Johnny actually seemed to enjoy doing with him. It was a quarter after 3 Am. What could possibly happen to Todd while they were gone? He reached over and prodded Nny in the shoulder and told him that 'what the hell' they could go. Nny's face lit up instantly, and before Edgar could change his mind they were out the front door and down the sidewalk. On the way there, Nny didn't try to strike up a conversation, though he did frequently turn his head and stare at Edgar for a few minutes. Edgar knew by now not to mention it. He didn't really see the point as even if it did strike home with Nny for some reason, he'd just say something particularly cruel. There was that, and the fact that Edgar didn't speak to Nny when they were in public. This was something that both of them accepted by now.

Soon enough they arrived at the gas mart. The man behind the counter, upon seeing them automatically went to start up the freezy machine. The last time when he'd said no, he'd nearly died. Funny how when Johnny let them live they were a lot nicer to him, even if it was out of fear it was still refreshing. Johnny filled up two XLL size cups with cherry freezy and handed one to Edgar. They dropped some change on the counter that probably wasn't anywhere near enough for their drinks. Then was the long trek home, in the cold, drinking equally as cold beverages. Edgar had never really understood why the concept was so appealing. But, Nny seemed to enjoy so he wasn't really going to argue. Besides that, this was the one time they went out of the house and Nny actually looked at him. Probably because it was so late out and there weren't a lot of other people around. Oh well, Edgar still liked it. He realized about halfway home that was why he'd capitulated and allowed Nny to drag him along for this escapade. All of that time with Nny's attention on Barbara, and Juan, the kids even got more of his attention! Edgar simply sat there not making a sound.

They were about a block away from the house when Nny abruptly stopped walking. It took Edgar a few steps to notice that he wasn't by his side, but then he stopped and turned to face him, waiting. Johnny was gazing up at the sky, the red freezy straw between his lips as he continuously sucked up more slush. His eyes were bright and his face relaxed as he looked up at the stars. He appeared, in this moment, the happiest Edgar had ever seen him. Not even when he was torturing people did he look this happy. After a few minutes Edgar shuffled back to where Johnny was and sat down on the sidewalk. He leant up against the fence lining the sidewalk and turned his eyes skyward. There was a dull thud on the ground as Johnny hunkered down next to him, still staring at the stars. The only sounds that invaded Edgar's ears were the soft whistle of the unkempt grass swaying in the gentle night breeze and Johnny, drinking even more freezy. Edgar wasn't even close to halfway done with his.

"Thank you."

Edgar was surprised when he didn't jump at Johnny suddenly speaking, "For what?"

"You make me happy."

Edgar faced Nny, who was still watching the sky and waited for him to add to that sentiment. For a while he didn't. But just as Edgar was about to turn away Nny offered up a sentence or two.

"If I ever talk about perfecting the moment…"

"Yes?"

"…give me a concussion."

Nny wrenched his eyes away from the stars for that last statement, fixating his gaze on Edgar.

"Okay." That he could do.

That was that, Nny stood up and offered Edgar a hand. He took it. Then, they went home. Edgar crawled into bed next to Todd, and Nny returned to his basement.

**TBC…**


	8. Chapter 8

After that night when he'd been forced to attend the dinner from hell (literally), things smoothed out a great deal. Though it took a few days, Edgar managed to train Nny to put his limbs in the wooden crate Edgar had made for that very purpose. Instead of burying the limbs in the front yard they were now taken down to the curb with the rest of the trash. Edgar continued to perform 'Home improvement episodes' as Nny called them. He was slowly working his way through the ground level of the house. He really wanted to paint the walls, but every time he mentioned it Nny managed to shoot him down with only a look. At least he'd won the battle over whether or not they needed new furniture. Once Edgar had set up the new entertainment system, Nny had withdrawn any arguments he'd produced before. Edgar was sure that one night he would come out into the living room and see Johnny tenderly kissing the fifty seven inch LCD panel TV; he was so attached to the thing.

Edgar was learning to sleep while Todd was at school, so that he would have enough energy for late night freezy trips with Johnny. Over the course of a few weeks they started to realize that Edgar was still getting paid despite his never showing up for work. Nny callously noted one morning at breakfast that it was probably because he was so goddamn invisible to everyone they didn't notice he was gone. In fact, they were a lot happier with his 'work' when it was nonexistent than when he was actually there putting forth effort. Edgar was regularly receiving bonuses, and all of this money flow allowed him to continue on with his home renovation. He was considering adding on a master bathroom. But, as it was, that required 'sniveling dermoid cysts to congregate' around the house and spend a few days building on another room. Needless to say he'd already questioned Nny about the prospect. It hadn't gone well.

Now, Edgar could say that he was…happy. It was weird, almost, to be this happy and not feel guilty about it. Maybe that was a sign of his unhealthy psychological state, to be so weary of joy. But, there he was, pulling into the garage in their new car, Todd in the front seat. He'd just picked up the little bugger from school. It was three months, to that very day, since Edgar 'moved in' with Nny. That probably wasn't the right term. More like, woke up after being allowed to live, and not running for freedom. It was odd, yes, but that single act of not leaving had earned him a happier life where people noticed him. In fact, Edgar was willing to go as far as to say that he now had a family. This family had meals together, went out and did family things like go to the movies. They went and had dinners with their friends, the Diablos: Barbara, Juan, and Pepito. Speaking of them, Edgar had…sort of made peace with Barbara. Okay, he still loathed her, but he didn't show it. Sometimes he even helped her with desert so that Nny had no reason to complain, or bludgeon him over the head.

Edgar wasn't really sure what to say about the Todd and Pepito friendship. He was sure that it wasn't just a mere acquaintanceship. Fore Todd did in fact invite Pepito over for a sleep over once. They'd constructed a pillow fort and camped out in it for the night. Edgar swore that he saw the anti-christ smile more than once throughout the evening. Nny, of course, was thrilled that their 'little Squee' was making friends. Edgar tried his hardest to remind Nny not to stress the plural sense of that word as Todd really only had one friend, Pepito and seemed incapable of making others. For the moment it's still a work in progress. Todd wriggled around and grabbed his backpack from the back seat. Then he turned, threw open the car door and slid off the seat and onto the cool garage floor. Edgar watched as he put his whole weight against the car door to slam it shut before he scurried out of the garage. He chuckled as he climbed out as well. Though he shut his door with notably less force he was just as happy to be home. Home. Applied to this house. Nny had said it a few times lately, as if tasting the words. 'When we get home…' _We_, when _we_ got home. He said it. Willingly. Though there was some hesitation that didn't really matter.

Edgar stepped out of the garage and reached up to grab the old fashioned non-automatic door. He yanked it down enough that it fell the rest of the way to smack against the cement. Gingerly he squatted down to slip the key on his key ring into the lock holding it shut, locking it. After that he made his way down the drive and across the grassless front yard to the front door. Inside Todd was perched on the edge of the couch facing the television. Both him and Nny were watching some brightly colored cartoon show so intently Edgar felt slightly concerned. He shut the front door and dropped his keys on the end table just around the corner.


	9. Chapter 9

His hands were still shaking. They hadn't really stopped since that night. When the wall moved. Ever since then he…he'd been seeing things. Things that shouldn't be there. Edgar had told them that he was merely going to go get some things from the market. They'd wondered why he wasn't taking the car but…but he'd said it wasn't anything cold so he didn't need to take the car. He was just walking down to the gas-mart. Nny had offered to go with him. They could get freezies. The maniac's eyes had lit up with glee at the thought, but Edgar turned him down. He wasn't in the mood for freezies.

Edgar had a good deal of trouble trying to get the key to go into the damn door. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. Finally, he managed. The key turned in the lock, his hand moving like a jackhammer, the doorknob shaking too. As he leaned on the door, pushing it open he fell in, onto the floor. The floor of his apartment. He crawled in, not getting off his hands and knees. In he went, to the living room, where he sat on the pristine grey carpet. Drawing his knees up to his chest he embraced them. The door swayed in the breeze, remaining open, him not caring enough to go back and close it. This was the first time he'd managed to enter his apartment in a few months. This antique from his old life. His parody of a life. It's not like he had any friends, or really any sort of distinguishing hobby. He just existed, if that, as no one really heard him or saw him.

Everything was raining down on him. All of the things he'd ignored and accepted since he'd stayed with Nny. He'd almost been killed. What did he do? He stayed with the man that'd almost killed him. How smart was that? He stayed with him…and then involved Todd. He could have just ignored the boy and went back into the house. But surely after a while Nny would have killed his dad anyways. No, there was no reason for him to do that, bring Todd into his fucked up life. _As if the boy wasn't screwed up enough…_But they saw him, they heard him. Then there was Barbara, and Senor Diablo…they acknowledged him too. But was any of it worth it? Yes, yes it was.

But now, now he was crazy too! He'd seen the thing trapped in the walls that Nny always spoke of. He'd seen it. What if it started coming after him too? Nny said that it couldn't leave the wall if there was blood on it. But…but what if it did manage to leave? It couldn't, it didn't exist. Why was he even thinking about this?

"I'm not crazy." He said.

When met with silence Edgar screamed, "I'm NOT **CRAZY**!"

No one heard him. No one saw him. He was invisible, and undoubtedly, crazy.


	10. Chapter 10

_Sluuuurp_.

Edgar jumped a little at the noise and looked up. Nny was staring at him, sipping at a cherry freezie. He'd been following him all along. He must have actually stopped at the gas mart on the way, after all he did have one of his precious freezies. So maybe they took the car. Todd was standing just behind him, peering at Edgar in that way that said he was worried. Just great. He brought Squee…er, Todd.

"This doesn't look like the gas-mart." Nny stated, looking around.

"Are you okay Mr. Edgar?"

"I'm…I'm fine." He lied.

Todd looked like he might cry. Edgar felt terrible. What was it that he had planned anyways? Was he just going to abandon this poor boy and leave him all alone with Nny? Granted Nny would never hurt him but…but Todd just wouldn't believe that, probably ever. He needed someone to take care of him. As guilty as Edgar felt he also was furious with Nny for using this against him. He knew that Edgar hated fighting in front of Todd, and that he would avoid it at all costs. Johnny knew it, he knew. Edgar could see that smug little smirk working its way onto his face. Two could play at that game. Edgar turned to Todd and in a flash had worked the car keys out of Johnny's pocket.

"How bout you go wait in the car while Nny and I talk?"

"Um, o'tay." He mumbled.

"Lock the doors and scream really loud if someone tries to break in, okay?"

"O'tay."

"Can I get a hug?"

Todd rushed out from behind Nny and into Edgar's arms. Smiling Edgar pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. After that he let him go, gently nudging him in the direction of the door. When Edgar glanced up at Nny he hoped to see the smirk gone, but yet it was still there, even after Todd courteously shut the front door behind him.

"Aren't you the perfect parent?" Johnny sneered, "Don't you mean, while your father and I _argue_?"

Edgar stood, his fists clenched at his sides. "Why did you bring Todd?"

"Why shouldn't I have?" Nny retorted.

"You know why!" Edgar yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the maniac.

"Do I now?"

"You use him like a little shield, because you know that I won't fight with you in front of him!"

"You say that like I'm afraid of you!"

Edgar didn't respond to that, he merely snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Nny growled and lunged towards him. They both fell to the floor. The only real discomfort Edgar received from the action was having the wind knocked out of him. Despite his disturbingly skeletal frame, Nny had managed to tackle him at a high enough speed to do that much. At first Edgar was preparing himself for the smiley face swords he knew so well. But when Nny hauled back one tiny, effeminate fist Edgar couldn't help himself. He laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Nny screeched. Edgar could tell he was truly infuriated; his voice had reached its all time high.

"You!" Edgar stuttered out.

"Stop it!" His assailant shrieked. One tiny fist crashed into his jaw and made his face smack into the carpet.

Edgar almost wished he could stop; but after Nny had hit him his howling laughter turned into a case of the giggles. It hadn't hurt at all. Well, granted it had hurt a bit, he'd probably have a bruise but, compared to the bone cracking agony of the machine he'd been set up in? It was nothing. Still, all the same he had no desire to have Nny keening like a banshee while he continued to batter his face with his small ineffectual fists. Eventually he might knock a tooth out. Someday.

He reached up and caught Nny's fist in his hand and smirked at him. "You done?"

"Done? What do you mean, done?"

"Oh and could you stop that?"

"WHAT?"

Edgar cringed at the noise. "That god awful racket."

"Maybe I should just leave you alone to be invisible again."

No. Nny no longer appeared enraged. In fact, he looked like he'd calmed down a great deal. He regarded Edgar with a twitch to his lips, like he might laugh, or cry, or yell. He wasn't sure which it would be.

"After all, that's why you came back here wasn't it?" Nny growled. "You ran away cuz you're just like the rest of them. You say you'll stay, you change my life around, and you bring Squee into it and then decide that you're going to leave?"

"I should have done this ages ago!" He'd started out calmly and slowly escalated back to his previous trill. Suddenly his swords were in his hands and Edgar felt panic consume him.

He threw himself forward, using his left elbow to jab into Nny's ribs and push him off of him. He got to his feet and was torn. His head was jumbled from the adrenaline but he still had a few coherent thoughts. Most of them involved Todd. He couldn't just run, but what if he fought back and hurt Nny? There wasn't a chance of calming him down at this point. Edgar whirled around and barely avoided a sword aimed for his neck. The last time he got a hold of Nny and got him to relinquish his swords had been blind luck; Edgar could admit that to himself now. He backed away, ducking and dodging until he felt the kitchen counter stab into his back. He reached around behind his back, and finding nothing lost all ability to think. He pulled his head back and then wrenched it forward into Nny's face. He heard a crack and hoped it hadn't come from him.

For a few minutes all Edgar could see was stars. His head ached abysmally and his vision was a little blurry. When he'd felt like he could see again and wouldn't fall over if he let go of the kitchen counter, Edgar looked around. He took only a few steps and managed to fall to the ground. Groaning he propped himself up on one hand and stared at the floor. Nny was lying on the floor, unconscious, blood spreading across the linoleum from under his head. Edgar could see that blood was dribbling out of his mouth. All he could think to do was to grab Nny by the neck and hold him up so that the blood in his mouth could spill onto the floor instead of into his windpipe. There he sat, his hand clasped around Nny's neck, his body limp. _What now_?


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, you're doing good Todd, just keep hold his head over the bucket."

"Mr. Edgar, there's something I need to tell you!"

"It'll be fine Todd, really, we'll get him to the hospital and everything will be fine."

"But…"

"Put your seatbelt on!"

"Okay…"

It had taken Edgar quite a while to wake up from the trance he'd fallen into. Staring mindlessly at Nny who was bleeding all over, unconscious on the floor of his apartment he'd been asleep. But then the horror of what he'd done had started to seep in. Then came the overwhelming need to make sure Nny would be okay, to get him to some place where they could find out how to help him. Edgar had slowly dragged the mad man and a bucket down the stairs to the car. Todd saw him coming, and he saw Nny, if Edgar had thought he'd seen the widest those terrified eyes could go, he had just been proven wrong. He loaded Nny into the car with Todd, who had the bucket on the floor of the backseat in between his short little legs. Together they'd strapped Nny to the seat with two of the three seatbelts and Todd was doing his best to hold Nny's head over the bucket so the blood pouring out of his mouth didn't get on the new car's upholstery.

"God damnit, god damnit, where the fuck is the hospital?" He shouted.

Hadn't Nny _told_ him to give him a concussion, all those weeks ago? But only if he was perfecting the moment. He hadn't said that he was perfecting the moment, now had he? It didn't look like he was going to calm down though! Well, he could have done something other than head butt him in the chin! No, he didn't have anything to stab him with. Stab him? He could have just gotten the swords out of his hands, he'd done it last time, right? That was pure luck.

Edgar squinted through cracked glasses at the street sign over the intersection they were rapidly approaching. Elm? Wisteria? Broad? No, the hospital wasn't on any of those streets. Edgar jerked the steering wheel around once he'd reached the intersection and performed a well executed, though very illegal, u-turn. He needed to head back on Denny st. that way he could get to western ave.

"Mr. Edgar, warn me before you make big turns like that again! It's hard to keep the blood from going everywhere when you make turns like that."

"Sorry, Todd," he answered absently.

Big white building…big white building…

"Todd, does that say hospital, or something like it over there?"

"Yes."

"Big turn."

"Oka-aaaaaaay."

Edgar cut across the intersection diagonally and went speeding up onto a curve and through some hedges. There were branches everywhere, but he couldn't stop, he rolled down the window and stuck his head out to see where he was going. He heard something that sounded vaguely like, 'Sorry Mr. Edgar…big turn made blood splash on backseat…'

They careened through the hospital parking lot until they were pulled in by the front doors. Or, at least, Edgar hoped they were the front doors considering he couldn't see none-too-good. His glasses were cracked this way and that from head butting the mad man he was now trying to save. Edgar hopped out of the car and went around to Todd's side. The kid sure was a trooper, it looked like he was already unbuckling Nny from his seat. Together they managed to pull him out of the car and drag him through the front doors.

The first thing Edgar noticed with his vision askew was that there were lots of people around. They must have found the emergency room.

"Help! Somebody!" He yelled. Nobody stopped.

Blurs continued to move past him nonchalantly ignoring him, not seeing him, as usual. He reached out and tried to grab one of them but they eluded his grasp, or maybe he just wasn't aiming correctly. He wished he could see. There was an insistent tugging on his hand. Edgar looked down. A familiar blob was staring intently up at him. Todd.

"Mr. Edgar, I'll get one of the nurses, you don't have to try and hurt anybody."

Hurt anybody? Did Todd really think he would do that? Well, considering the state Nny was in…

"Miss nurse, 'scuse me, but my friend needs help."

"Oh, dear, where is your mother?" A woman's voice crooned.

"He's right there, but I don't think you can see him."

"Um, sir?"

Edgar's head whirled to the side, staring at someone, probably the nurse that Todd had gotten the attention of. She was peering at him.

"Yes?" Someone had seen him, in this crazy place. _Only because Todd pointed you out._

"You are…this boy's….mother?"

Edgar glanced down at the small fuzzy circle he'd come to know by now as Todd. All insecurities about his masculinity aside, he didn't have time to argue about whether or not he was Todd's mother or father or what-have-you.

"Yes."

"And this is….?"

"His…er, father."

"Will you come this way please?"

Edgar nodded and followed Todd, who'd taken him by the hand to lead him through the bustling crowd. He watched through broken glasses and broken eyes as the nurse set about finding out what was wrong with Nny. First she found out where the bleeding was coming from on the back of his head. Something that sounded like a razor buzzed into life, and Edgar tensed. It wasn't like she would be amputating anything, right? I mean, okay now he was just being illogical. God he wished he could see!

"Todd? What's she doing?"

"She's cutting off all his hair so that she can bandage up the cut on his head."

"Oh."

He calmed down some.

"Um, sir?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea what your prescription is?"

"For…?"

"For your glasses, sir."

"Oh, um…I'm so blind that everything's blurry without them? I don't really know."

"Far sighted…?"

"Yes."

"Bethany!" The nurse called.

A few minutes later, 'Bethany' answered, "Yes?"

"Could you get this man over here some glasses while I get this guy to the x-ray?"

"Sure."

"Excuse me, Mister?"

Edgar reached out a hand and felt another hold on to his."Todd, I'll be back, don't leave Nny."

"Okay."

Edgar just kept walking. He held onto 'Bethany's hand and followed her to wherever it was in this hospital that he was going to get a pair of temporary replacements for his thick lenses. He didn't want to leave Nny, and he most certainly didn't want to leave Todd, but it would be best if he could see the two of them. So, for now, he was accepting help from this Bethany woman whom he had no idea what she looked like. Everyone looked the same at the moment. Todd and Nny seemed to stand out to him, but that might just be because he'd memorized the look that their blurs had. He sighed.

He hoped Nny would be okay, he hoped Nny would be okay, he hoped…

"Alright, sir, what is your name?"

"Edgar Vargas."

"Okay, hopefully I can do this the easy way and find out what your prescription is on your medical record…hm, let's see."

She'd let go of his hand so she could type with both of hers. Edgar looked around, out of habit. But everything looked the same as the room he'd left. He sighed wearily. Bethany mostly hummed and tsked to herself as she stared at a bright computer screen. He wished she would hurry up. He really wanted to get back to Todd and Nny. He didn't like the idea of leaving them alone in a hospital like this. Hospitals were scary places after all.

Eventually Bethany made a 'whoa' sound that most people made when they discovered just how strong his glasses were. Sometimes they would also say things like, 'How are you _not_ blind?'

"Alright, Mr. Vargas, let me just go ask this friend of mine if he has a pair of these…"

Edgar nodded to her and she walked away. He earnestly hoped that she didn't forget who she was helping and just left him there. That would be bad. He wouldn't be able to find his way back to Todd and Nny.

He was in luck; Bethany returned after a few moments and pressed a pair of glasses into his hand. He carefully removed the ones he was wearing and put on his new pair. He blinked as suddenly everything came into focus and he saw Bethany, the rather helpful brunette with twenty/twenty vision. He smiled at her and asked if she could take him back to his friend. She nodded and reached for the phone next to the computer.

By the time that Bethany had gotten them lost a few times and then returned him to Nny and Todd it looked like they were ready to go. The nurse that had helped them appeared very confused as she stared down at the now bald and bandaged maniac.

"Alright, sir, your friend is all set to go home now…"

Her voice sounded, off, so Edgar asked, "You say that like you're not sure. Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really wrong. It's just, I took him up to the x-ray and it showed he had a small sliver of a crack in his jaw and another in the back of his head. I took another set of films just to be sure…but then everything was healed just fine." The nurse chuckled, "I guess I must have just been seeing things."

Edgar laughed with her, though on the inside he was just as confused as she was. He gathered the fixed up Nny in his arms, maneuvering him so he could hold him with only one. He made sure to take Todd by the hand before he headed out the door. He groaned when he saw his car, which remained just outside the doors on the sidewalk. There were branches all over the front of it.

He heard Todd sigh and glanced down at the boy, "Yes?"

"Well, we just spent a whole lot of time in there Mr. Edgar and we didn't really need to."

"What do you mean we didn't need to? Todd, Nny was really hurt!"

"But he's healed already!"

"Well, maybe the injuries were…"

"No, I was trying to tell you, Nny can't die! He was going to be fine."

Edgar let go of Todd and gaped at him, "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"You shushed me!" Todd retorted.

"You could have kept trying I might have paid attention eventually."

Todd crossed his arms and gave him a look. Edgar grumbled and went to the passenger side of the car. After loading a limp Nny into the front seat and putting his seatbelt on, Edgar glared at the hedge branches all over the windshield that he now had to clean off. He knew it was his own fault but he chose to ignore that fact that be angry about it instead.

"Mr. Edgar."

"Yes Todd?" He replied as he disentangled branches from the windshield wipers.

"I think we should take Nny over to Pepito's house just to be safe."

"Why?"

"Do you know how to take care of a crazy person who doesn't want to be taken care of?"

"…no, not really."

"Guess who probably does?"

"Oh no, no no no no."

"I bet Pepito's mommy does."

"Ew."

"Mr. Edgar, I'm the kid here, remember?"

Edgar scowled but said nothing.

"Are you done with that?"

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Todd went to the back seat where he yanked the bucket of blood out of the backseat and chucked it towards the doors to the hospital. Then he clambered in and shut the car door. Edgar kicked the pile of branches to the side and went to hop into the driver's seat. So much for his pride. It had all but deteriorated by now. He was the mother in the two-men co-parenting relationship and he was acting more like a kid than his 'son' was. And, and now he would have to ask for help from the one woman he probably hated more than anything he'd ever hated before.

As Edgar started up the car and made his way out of the parking lot he realized something. Before Barbara he'd never really hated anything. Too, he noted, he'd just been more worried then he'd ever been before in his life. Even more so when he thought he was about to die.

**TBC…**


	12. Chapter 12

Edgar grumbled and moaned and whined as he begrudgingly got out of the car. Todd was still giving him the look, so he tried his best to shut up. He went around to the other side of the car and lifted Nny out of the passenger seat. Up to the front door they went. Todd reached one short, nubbly arm up so his tiny hand could reach the doorbell. Edgar could hear Barbara calling to them that she'd be right there. He was surprised though when the door opened and instead of Barbara was her son Pepito.

"Hello Squee, Mr. Edgar…what's wrong with Nny?"

"He has a concussion, may we come in?"

Pepito eyed him suspiciously before allowing them over the threshold. Edgar and Todd politely took off their shoes in the entry way while Pepito went to get his mother. From some other part of the house there was a panicked shriek. A flustered looking Barbara came scurrying out of the kitchen and into the entry way. As soon as her eyes found Nny a graceful little hand settled itself over her mouth. Her other hand went to rest on her chest over her heart.

"Oh, my dears, just c'mon follow me, let's get him put to bed in the guest room." Barbara turned and made for the stairs, clearly expecting them to follow her.

Edgar had never been to the upper level of the Diablo home in all of the times he'd visited for dinners and so on over the course of the month he'd known them. There were only about three or four doors in the short hallway at the top of the staircase. Barbara opened the first door on the right revealing a neutrally decorated room with a twin bed in the center of it. She directed Edgar to set Nny down in the bed once she'd pulled back the blankets. Then she tucked him in, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. She smiled at them and then left the room saying she was going to go and get some water for him.

Edgar closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it come out as a sigh. Then he gently sat down on the edge of the bed. He felt Todd clamber up next to him. Together they both watched Johnny sleep. With all the blood washed off of him and the one bandage on the back of his head he looked much better. It was strange seeing him without any hair though. Edgar would have to find a way to get used to that.

"Mr. Edgar."

"Yes Todd?"

"What were you two arguing about?"

"…what?" Edgar faltered. Todd was staring up at him unblinkingly, waiting for an answer.

"You only ever make me go somewhere else when there's probably some dead person, or when you want to argue. I really don't think there was a dead person in your apartment."

Edgar turned his eyes onto the floor, "I…don't really know. I don't think we were arguing about anything. Except me leaving."

"Leaving? Do you mean like…not coming back type of leaving?" Todd's voice grew quieter the more he said. Edgar felt terrible.

"I think so…I don't know if I was really going to not go back. I was just scared."

"Of what? You've never been scared before."

"You know the blood wall?"

"The one you put the curtain over?"

"Yeah."

Todd nodded.

"I thought I saw the thing behind it…if it's really there. I don't know. It just…I thought I was going crazy, like Nny. That scared me."

"There's a monster behind the wall?" Todd squeaked.

Edgar snorted, "That's what Nny says."

"Why didn't he tell Pepito's daddy?"

Edgar felt his eyebrows knit together in confusion. He turned to eye Todd curiously. What was it with this child and believing everything Nny said? He was crazy! But…Pepito's dad really was Satan so who knew?

"Do you think I should?"

"Yes!"

Edgar chuckled, almost not believing what he was about to do, "Alright. Stay here with Nny and come get me if he wakes up, okay?"

"Okay."

Todd curled up on his side, on the edge of the bed. Edgar stood up and ventured out of the room. Just before he closed the door behind him he peered back in. Todd had closed his eyes, obviously trying to sleep. When they were close like that, they almost did look like father and son. Edgar smiled, finally shutting the door and heading down the stairs. He found Barbara in the kitchen she was wandering about looking various drawers and cupboards. She looked in one last drawer and then huffed, putting her hands on her hips. Edgar coughed politely alerting her to his presence.

"Hey sweetie, I was just trying to find one of those little cloth bags you put an ice pack in…I thought that might help, I felt his forehead and it seems like he's got a bit of a fever."

"Oh." Edgar faltered a bit at Barbara using endearments on him but strived to remember his original mission, "Do you know where Juan is?"

"I think he might be down in the basement. If you open the door there's a button to the right, you can push that to call for him."

After that Barbara went back to her search for something for her icepack. Realizing that was his dismissal, Edgar went in search of the door to the basement. He'd never actually been shown where it was before. After a couple minutes of looking he found it was a small door tucked away in the small corner next to the staircase. It was hiding behind a coat rack. Edgar opened the door and nearly shut it when a sudden wave of heat hit him. Squinting he put his head over the threshold and tried to find the 'button to the right' Barbara had mentioned.

There it was. A small black button on the doorframe, it might as well be the switch to open the garage door it was so inconspicuous. Edgar reached over and pushed it. Then he quickly withdrew his head back into the house to get away from the blazing warmth of the basement. Several minutes later Juan came strolling up a set of stairs that Edgar hadn't seen before, leading up to the basement door.

"Ah, Edgar. I didn't know you and Nny were planning on visiting today."

"We weren't. Nny has a concussion, Todd and I thought that Barbara might do a better job of taking care of him than we would by ourselves."

"I see." Juan paused as he stepped through the doorway and past Edgar.

Edgar gratefully shut the basement door and turned to face Senor Diablo.

"What exactly may I help you with? I'm very busy with work at the moment."

"I think we have a monster in one of the walls of the house."

Juan looked like he was about to scoff at him. Then he stopped and clarified, "Nny's house?"

"Yes." Edgar felt silly even mentioning it but he had to see if he was crazy, he couldn't stand not knowing. "The only way to keep it in the wall is to put blood on it."

"Hmm," Juan floated across the hall to the kitchen, "Barbara, I'm going to head over to Nny's house with Edgar for a moment. We'll be back in a little bit."

"Alright honey, don't forget to be back home in time for dinner, okay?"

"I know, dear!"

Edgar wasn't sure if he should be worried or excited, or frightened. After Juan had conversed with Barbara on another few things he returned to Edgar's side and chose his feelings for him. With a deft flick of his wrist he created hole in the floor beneath them. Edgar didn't have time to scream as he fell through the hole, and out of the ceiling of Nny's house. Not used to such methods of travel he landed rather gracelessly on the living room floor. Senor Diablo was still standing, just as poised as he always was.

Edgar took deep breaths to calm himself while the devil made himself at home, wandering about. An amused voice called, 'I'm guessing it's the wall with the curtain, huh?'

"Er, yes."

He scrambled to his feet and went to join the devil near the curtain. Juan pulled the curtain to the side and inspected the wall, running one skeletal hand over it. After a few minutes of his careful examination of the blood stained wood he laughed. Edgar prepared himself for the most scathing remark he could imagine. He could imagine quite a few of those; after all, he did live with Nny. But he was nicely surprised when no insult came.

Instead Juan chuckled, "How very mature, brother. Don't you have anything better to do than picking on the one being holding your precious universe together?"

Then, suddenly, he stuck his hand _in_ the wall and pulled back. Edgar screamed, tripping over himself in his effort to scoot away. Senor Diablo had yanked out the monster in the wall. It was disgusting and yet the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. It looked like a pterodactyl had a run in with an octopus and an alien, perhaps. The devil had his skeletal hand clenched around the things neck and he yet again created another hole in the floor before throwing the monster head first into it. It squawked and screeched as more and more of it poured out of the wall and into the hole in the floor.

His eyes never leaving the creature Juan said, "I'm sorry, Edgar but I think I'm going to have to ask you to walk back to the house. I need to make sure this monster finds its way to its proper home in hell."

"T-that's fine." Edgar mumbled.

"Oh good, I will see you later then."

With that, the devil _smiled_ at him and followed the wall monster through the hole in the floor and disappeared. Edgar gaped at the wall, now devoid of blood. It took a while to pull himself together, but once he had he stood up and made his way towards the front door. He needed to get back to the Diablo home so he could be with Nny when he woke up.

Edgar knocked on the front door of the Diablo home, exhausted from having to make the five mile walk from Nny's house to Pepito's. Usually he drove there so he didn't have to worry about the tiring distance. But, since Satan had teleported him one direction and then left him to find his own way back…well, he'd be fine. He shouldn't be whining. Satan just did him a favor after all. He heard a set of footsteps approach the door and then he was face to face with Barbara.

"Oh good, dear, I was hoping you'd be back soon. I know it would mean the world to little Nny if you were here."

Edgar followed her towards the stairs, feeling quite confused, "You think so?"

"Well, of course. I don't think I've ever seen him so happy, sweetie. You're just what the little dear needs."

Barbara, in her own little way just made him feel just that much worse for thinking about leaving. They reached the door to the guest bedroom, but before they went in the cheerful woman turned to him and smiled in a way far different from her usual chipper expression.

"Now sweetie, I care about little Nny a great deal, so don't go and hurt him now, or I'll have Juan come after you, alright?" Her voice never drifted from the gentle drawl Edgar was accustomed to.

He nodded jerkily and her grin returned to her normal kindness. She sidestepped him and went down the stairs without another word. Edgar shivered slightly once she was out of sight. He shuffled over to the door and opened it. Todd was snuggled up next to Nny on the bed, fast asleep. The maniac had an small cloth bundle on his forehead that Edgar guessed was the icepack Barbara had been so desperately searching for. He chuckled nervously at the thought of that woman again. He closed the door behind him and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

There he set one hand on the other side of Nny, twisted around at the waist to look down at the two of them, Todd and Nny. He wondered briefly if he was dreaming, if Nny was. This was probably the first time he'd slept in a few months. Of course it wasn't willingly but it was a start. He doubted that he would be able to get him to sleep on a regular basis, but he could always hope. Edgar was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the object of his thoughts stirring.

Johnny shifted, his eyes slowly opening. He yawned and then looked around. His eyes first found Todd and then Edgar.

"I dreamed you were the captain of a spaceship that was exploring the universe with me and that Squee was our pet, and that you liked to sleep a lot, and that we got freezies all the time, and we killed Squee's parents with the ships laser cannons, and that we had dinner with the Pepito and Barbara and Juan on Mars." Nny paused, staring intently at Edgar before continuing, "I dreamed that you left the ship without telling me."

Edgar could do nothing but gaze into Nny's expressionless face. He knew there was something more that the mad man wanted to say, so he waited.

"But it was okay, I dreamed that you came back," Nny said, "you'd just gone out for freezies and forgot to tell me."

Edgar smiled, "That sounds about right."

"You said that dreams make us remember things."

"Yes, I did."

"Did all of that happen?" Nny questioned eagerly.

"I don't think we explored the universe, but Squee became our son, sort of. We do get freezies a lot; we walk down to the gas mart and get them. You killed Squee's parents because he told you it was okay. We've had several dinners with the Diablos at their house (where we are right now)." Edgar paused, "And I did leave you, but I didn't get very far because you found me…and then…we went for freezies."

Nny grinned, "I remembered something with a dream."

"Yes you did."

"Squee!" Nny shouted.

Todd jolted awake looked around wildly, "What?"

"I remembered something with a dream!"

Todd sighed, calming down, "That's nice, Nny."

Nny beamed at them both and then opened his mouth wide, "Let's go get a freezie."

Edgar nodded, "Okay."

And so they went, they got one cherry freezie to share.

END


End file.
